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

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

The template-driven format resembles the output of content mills that mass-produce made-up clickbait stories, said digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

And now it’s escalated by the talking heads on TikTok that need clickbait.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

When a film so agonizing is immediately followed by empty, uninformative clickbait articles asking “where are they now” questions about the grieving Owens children, one has to wonder where the line is.

From Salon • Oct. 21, 2025

"I felt like they were using my speech for clickbait, and that's not what I'm about at all," she said.

From BBC • Sep. 24, 2025