chomping at the bit

ADJECTIVE

impatient, eager

Synonyms

STRONGEST

burning eager enthused enthusiastic fired up gung-ho hankering impatient itching keen panting raring thirsting willing

Antonyms

STRONGEST

apathetic patient unwilling

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See what remains today: Santa Anita Park was deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places in 2006, though developers have been chomping at the bit to get their hands on it.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

Combined, they represent Maryland’s highest-ranked freshman recruiting class in five years, and they’re chomping at the bit to get their college careers started.

From Washington Times • Nov. 6, 2023

“We have a bunch of young guys that are just chomping at the bit and really pushing everybody, so it’s been a good mix of older guys and younger guys in camp.”

From Seattle Times • Aug. 2, 2023

It'll be interesting to see what they do next, because I know Amazon's probably chomping at the bit to give them another season of something.

From Salon • Jun. 13, 2023

By this time the young governess was chomping at the bit, as is often said about racehorses.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood