ankle biter

noun

variants or ankle-biter

ˈaŋ-kəl-ˌbī-tər 

1

informal : a young child

The only topics of conversation among parents are about the ankle biters and their various extracurricular activities … and food allergies.

—Deborah Hill Cone

2

informal : a small, aggressive dog

Examples of ankle biter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Here, Angelenos audience test the next season of the end of the world every day — from the drama of the unprotected left to the dark comedy of getting dressed up to stave off the ankle biters. —Edmund Arévalo, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2023

Cut these ankle biters some slack and don’t roll your eyes. —Christopher Muther, BostonGlobe.com, 26 June 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1