clickbait

American  

[klik-beyt] / ˈklɪkˌbeɪt /

noun

1. a sensationalized headline or piece of text on the internet designed to entice people to follow a link to an article on another web page.

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adjective

1. noting or relating to such internet content.

   Clickbait articles contribute to the online visibility of the news website.

Usage

What does clickbait mean? Clickbait describes misleading internet content or shocking headline titles that aim to drive traffic to a website.

Etymology

Origin of clickbait

First recorded in 1995–2000; click ¹ (in the computer sense) + bait

Example Sentences

Then there’s the real world—the one where readers and viewers lap up celebrity updates, clickbait headlines, and bleed-and-lead news segments.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

Sabrina, your character in “The Paper” wants to be the managing editor of the Toledo Truth Teller, but she’s really all about the clickbait.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

On its surface, the controversy appears like absurd clickbait — a grown man breathlessly informing audiences that activists sometimes engage in activism.

From Salon • May 20, 2026

All of this that we’re living through and that our neighbors feel is so much bigger than whatever clickbait outrage is driving the cable news cycle today and will be forgotten by Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

It is similar to its internet cousin clickbait, where a headline is used to lure a reader in to view an article or video.

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2025