son of a bitch

noun phrase

ˈsən-ə-və-ˌbich 

also

ˈsəm-ˌbich 

 as an interjection  ˌsən-ə-və-ˈbich

plural sons of bitches ˌsən-zə-ˈbi-chəz 

1

sometimes vulgar

a

: an offensive or disagreeable person

—usually used of a man

He's a mean son of a bitch.

—used as a generalized term of abuse

"… You son of a bitch, you sat down in my chair."

—Garrison Keillor

b

: man, fellow

"The poor son of a bitch," he said. "He never had a chance. … "

—Hunter S. Thompson

2

sometimes vulgar

—used interjectionally to express surprise, disappointment, annoyance, or anger

3

sometimes vulgar

—used as a generalized term of reference

Why didn't he just climb the ladder all the way to the top, step off the son of a bitch, and be done with it?

—Richard Russo

Examples of son of a bitch in a Sentence

That son of a bitch insulted my family.

He's a mean son of a bitch.

The test turned out to be a real son of a bitch.

Word History

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1a