n.

1. a small quantity;
   spot
   
   • a spot of tea
   • a bit of paper
2. a small fragment of something broken off from the whole;
   chip, flake, fleck, scrap
   
   • a bit of rock caught him in the eye
3. an indefinitely short time;
   moment, minute, second
   
   • wait just a moment
   • it only takes a minute
   • in just a bit
4. an instance of some kind;
   piece
   
   • it was a nice piece of work
   • he had a bit of good luck
5. piece of metal held in horse's mouth by reins and used to control the horse while riding
   
   • the horse was not accustomed to a bit
6. a unit of measurement of information (from binary + digit); the amount of information in a system having two equiprobable states
   
   • there are 8 bits in a byte
7. a small amount of solid food; a mouthful;
   morsel, bite
   
   • all they had left was a bit of bread
8. a small fragment;
   snatch
   
   • overheard snatches of their conversation
9. a short theatrical performance that is part of a longer program;
   act, routine, number, turn
   
   • he did his act three times every evening
   • she had a catchy little routine
   • it was one of the best numbers he ever did
10. the cutting part of a drill; usually pointed and threaded and is replaceable in a brace or bitstock or drill press
    
    • he looked around for the right size bit