Library / English Dictionary

BITCH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Female of any member of the dog family

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("bitch" is a kind of...):

canid; canine (any of various fissiped mammals with nonretractile claws and typically long muzzles)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bitch"):

brood bitch (a bitch used for breeding)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Informal terms for objecting

Example:

I have a gripe about the service here

Synonyms:

beef; bitch; gripe; kick; squawk

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("bitch" is a kind of...):

objection (the speech act of objecting)

Derivation:

bitch (say mean things)

bitchy (marked by or arising from malice)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A person (usually but not necessarily a woman) who is thoroughly disliked

Example:

she said her son thought Hillary was a bitch

Synonyms:

bitch; cunt

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("bitch" is a kind of...):

disagreeable person; unpleasant person (a person who is not pleasant or agreeable)

Sense 4

Meaning:

An unpleasant difficulty

Example:

this problem is a real bitch

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("bitch" is a kind of...):

difficulty (a condition or state of affairs almost beyond one's ability to deal with and requiring great effort to bear or overcome)

Domain usage:

argot; cant; jargon; lingo; patois; slang; vernacular (a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves))

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Say mean things

Synonyms:

backbite; bitch

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "bitch" is one way to...):

complain; kick; kvetch; plain; quetch; sound off (express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

bitch (informal terms for objecting)

bitchery (aggressive remarks and behavior like that of a spiteful malicious woman)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Complain

Example:

What was he hollering about?

Synonyms:

beef; bellyache; bitch; crab; gripe; grouse; holler; squawk

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "bitch" is one way to...):

complain; kick; kvetch; plain; quetch; sound off (express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

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