bare one's teeth
The phrase "bare one's teeth" comes from animal behavior, where showing teeth is a sign of aggression or threat.
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Definition
B2General
(figurative, informal)To show aggression or hostility, often in a threatening manner.
Example
- When negotiations broke down, both sides began to bare their teeth.
- She bared her teeth when someone insulted her friend.
B2Animal Behavior
(literal, technical)When an animal shows its teeth as a sign of aggression or threat.
Example
- The dog bared its teeth at the stranger, warning him to stay away.
- Wolves often bare their teeth to assert dominance within the pack.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "bare one's teeth":
grit one's teethbare one's breastshow one's clawsget one's claws outbit between one's teethbite backhold one's jawset someone's teeth on edgelay barerear one's headcast in someone's teethsink one's teeth intobite downbear down