bite the bullet

idiom/baɪt ðə ˈbʊlɪt/ 🔊 listen

Bite the bullet means to endure a painful or difficult situation with courage and without complaint. The origin is military — soldiers would bite on a bullet during surgery when no anaesthetic was available.

📖 Meanings

1to endure something difficult or unpleasant without complaint
"I hate the dentist, but I'll just have to bite the bullet." — I dislike going, but I'll endure it.
2to make a hard decision and go through with it
"We need to bite the bullet and cut our budget." — We need to make the hard call and reduce spending.

🔄 Related idioms

face the music →take the plunge →grin and bear it →

💬 Common patterns

just bite the bulletbite the bullet and do ittime to bite the bullet
❓ Someone says "I bit the bullet and went to the doctor." What does this mean?