Meaning of biť | Babel Free

Definitions

1. to beat, to hit, to strike (to inflict physical pain or punishment through blows)
   imperfective, transitive
2. to strike, to bang, to pound (to hit forcefully against something; of rain, waves, or wind)
   imperfective, intransitive
3. to beat, to strike, to toll (to produce sound by striking; of hearts, clocks, or thunder)
   imperfective, intransitive
4. to bash, to attack, to criticize (to attack someone verbally or in writing)
   figuratively, imperfective, transitive
5. to slay, to kill, to destroy (to cause death or to exterminate)
   imperfective, transitive
6. to trump, to beat (to play a higher card in a card game)
   imperfective, transitive
7. to spike, to smash, to hit (to hit the ball forcefully downwards in sports like volleyball)
   imperfective, transitive
8. to fight, to brawl, to scuffle (to exchange physical blows; to engage in a physical struggle)
   imperfective, reflexive
9. to strive, to fight for, to struggle (to put great effort into achieving a goal or overcoming obstacles)
   figuratively, imperfective, reflexive
10. to clash, to mismatch, to conflict (not to be in harmony; of colors, ideas, or expressions)
    figuratively, imperfective, reflexive

Equivalents

Examples

“biť niekoho hlava-nehlava”

to beat someone indiscriminately

“biť niekoho ako psa”

to beat someone mercilessly

“kto chce psa biť, palicu si nájde”

if you want to find fault, you will

“Rozzúrení pastieri bili palicami každého, kto sa im odvážil postaviť do cesty.”

The enraged shepherds beat everyone who dared to stand in their way with sticks.

“biť do očí”

to be glaringly obvious

“Rozzúrené vlny vytrvalo bili o brehy ostrova.”

The raging waves persistently struck against the shores of the island.

“biť na poplach”

to sound the alarm

“bije jeho posledná hodina”

his time is up

“vedieť, koľko bije”

to know what is what

“V celom dome bolo počuť len to, ako staré nástenné hodiny rytmicky bijú.”

In the whole house, one could only hear the old wall clock striking rhythmically.

“Médiá ho celé týždne poriadne bili za jeho neúspešné pôsobenie vo funkcii.”

The media bashed him heavily for weeks for his unsuccessful tenure in office.

“Vojaci museli biť nepriateľa šabľami, aby ubránili mesto.”

The soldiers had to slay the enemy with sabres to defend the city.

“V tejto kartovej hre eso vždy bije kráľa.”

In this card game, the ace always beats the king.

“Volejbalový smečiar vyskočil vysoko nad sieť a prudko bil loptu do ihriska.”

The volleyball spiker jumped high above the net and smashed the ball into the court.

“mlynári sa bijú”

it is snowing heavily

“kde sa dvaja bijú, tretí víťazí”

when two quarrel, the third wins

“Na školskom dvore sa dve skupiny chlapcov zúrivo bili.”

Two groups of boys were fighting fiercely in the schoolyard.

“biť sa ako lev (za niečo)”

to fight like a lion (for something)

“Vedel, že je zbytočné biť sa o ten byt, tak to radšej vzdal.”

He knew it was useless to fight for that apartment, so he gave up.

“Citlivejšiemu pozorovateľovi vše padlo do oka, že sa farby bijú.”

A more sensitive observer would always notice that the colors clash.

CEFR level