clickbait

[klik-beyt]

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.

adjective

1. noting or relating to such internet content.

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of clickbait¹

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

Example Sentences

While clickbait headlines have focused on whether the Nazi dictator had a micropenis and only one testicle, more serious are the findings that his DNA showed "very high" scores - in the top 1% - for a predisposition to autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Read more on BBC

Patel has defended his travel, dismissing his critics as “clickbait haters.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When dictators become celebrities and their atrocities become clickbait, they are almost beyond satire, which makes them especially dangerous.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But this is the thing in clickbait culture: You get the four sentences that get people crazy or super happy but mostly outraged.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

As a Netflix true crime film, “The Perfect Neighbor” is getting the same kind of clickbait headline treatment that a more salacious, less impactful documentary on the streamer would.

Read more on Salon

When To Use

What does clickbait mean?

Clickbait describes misleading internet content or shocking headline titles that aim to drive traffic to a website.