Idiom: Bite Your Tongue
to stop yourself from speaking
Examples
- I had to bite my tongue.
Key rules
- Bite your tongue means stop yourself from saying something you want to say
- It is used in the past tense in stories: I had to bite my tongue
- It is informal
- Use the possessive with the subject
Common mistakes
- I had to bite the tongue → I had to bite my tongue
💡 Tip: Use it when you hold back a rude or hurtful comment.