bait

American  

[beyt] / beɪt /

noun

1. food, or some substitute, used as a lure in fishing, trapping, etc.

2. a poisoned lure used in exterminating pests.

3. an allurement; enticement.

   Employees were lured with the bait of annual bonuses.

4. an object for pulling molten or liquefied material, as glass, from a vat or the like by adhesion.

5. South Midland and Southern U.S.

   1. a large or sufficient quantity or amount.

      He fetched a good bait of wood.

   2. an excessive quantity or amount.

6. British Slang.  food.

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verb (used with object)

1. to prepare (a hook or trap) with bait.

2. to entice by deception or trickery so as to entrap or destroy.

   using fake signal lights to bait the ships onto the rocks.

3. to attract, tempt, or captivate.

4. to set dogs upon (an animal) for sport.

5. to worry, torment, or persecute, especially with malicious remarks.

   a nasty habit of baiting defenseless subordinates.

   Synonyms:

   pester , heckle , badger

6. to tease.

   They love to bait him about his gaudy ties.

7. to feed and water (a horse or other animal), especially during a journey.

verb (used without object)

Archaic.

1. to stop for food or refreshment during a journey.

2. (of a horse or other animal) to take food; feed.

bait ¹ British  

/ beɪt /

noun

1. something edible, such as soft bread paste, worms, or pieces of meat, fixed to a hook or in a trap to attract fish or animals

2. an enticement; temptation

3. a variant spelling of bate 4

4. dialect  food, esp a packed lunch

5. archaic  a short stop for refreshment during a journey

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verb

1. (tr) to put a piece of food on or in (a hook or trap)

2. (tr) to persecute or tease

3. (tr) to entice; tempt

4. (tr) to set dogs upon (a bear, etc)

5. archaic  (tr) to feed (a horse), esp during a break in a journey

6. archaic  (intr) to stop for rest and refreshment during a journey

bait ² British  

/ beɪt /

verb

1. a variant spelling of bate 2

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bait Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing bait

• fish or cut bait
• jump at (the bait)
• rise to the bait

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Usage

The phrase with bated breath is sometimes wrongly spelled with baited breath

Other Word Forms

• baiter noun
• overbait verb (used with object)
• rebait verb (used with object)
• unbait verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of bait

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English bait, beit (noun), baiten (verb), from Old Norse, probably reflecting both beita “to pasture, hunt, chase with dogs or hawks” (ultimately causative of bíta “to bite”) and beita “fish bait”; bite, bate ³

Example Sentences

Oxford defines "rage bait" as "online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted" in order to increase web traffic or engagement.

From Barron's

If so, you may be falling victim to rage bait, which Oxford University Press has named its word or phrase of the year.

From BBC

In what should be a pivotal scene, “Hamnet” looks much more like a satire of lachrymose Oscar bait than a portrait of the real thing.

From Salon

The inspections uncovered thousands of unlawfully disposed items, including pesticide containers with liquids, foams, baits, pellets and aerosol sprays.

From Los Angeles Times

The West Australian newspaper has been baiting the England team since they arrived in Perth.

From BBC

Related Words

• harass
• irk
• tease
• torment