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• bait-and-switch
  bait-and-switch

  adjective

  denoting a deceptive method of selling, by which customers, attracted to a store by sale items, are told either that the advertised bargain item is out of stock or is inferior to a higher-priced item that is available.
• bait and switch
  bait and switch

  A deceptive commercial practice in which customers are induced to visit a store by an advertised sale item and then are told that it is out of stock or that it is far inferior to some more expensive item. For example, I won't buy a car from this outfit; they're notorious for their bait and switch tactics. The verb to bait has meant to supply a hook or trap with a morsel of food so as to attract a fish or animal since about 1300; the verb to switch has meant to change, alter, or transfer from one thing to another since the 1890s. The pairing of the two, however, dates only from the 1920s, although the practice is surely much older. It is called switch-selling in Britain.

bait-and-switch

American  

[beyt-n-swich] / ˈbeɪt nˈswɪtʃ /

adjective

1. denoting a deceptive method of selling, by which customers, attracted to a store by sale items, are told either that the advertised bargain item is out of stock or is inferior to a higher-priced item that is available.

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noun

1. an act or instance of such practice.

bait and switch Idioms  

1. A deceptive commercial practice in which customers are induced to visit a store by an advertised sale item and then are told that it is out of stock or that it is far inferior to some more expensive item. For example, I won't buy a car from this outfit; they're notorious for their bait and switch tactics. The verb to bait has meant to supply a hook or trap with a morsel of food so as to attract a fish or animal since about 1300; the verb to switch has meant to change, alter, or transfer from one thing to another since the 1890s. The pairing of the two, however, dates only from the 1920s, although the practice is surely much older. It is called switch-selling in Britain.

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Etymology

Origin of bait-and-switch

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bait-and-switch bait and switch

Occasionally, playful-sounding tickers can be a bait-and-switch, as in POET, for a maker of AI hardware—not exactly John Keats material.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

Federal and state agencies also must be empowered with the resources to penalize bait-and-switch tactics swiftly.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 13, 2026

A couple initially expecting to pay less than £50 for a locksmith ended up victims of a "bait-and-switch scam" which ended up costing them more than £5,000, an investigation has found.

From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026

After all, we’ve seen this movie before, and it turned out to be a bait-and-switch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2025

Jeremiah Gibson, a couples therapist who hosts the Sexvangelicals podcast with his wife and fellow therapist Julia Postema, told Salon that the sex-and-relationships material that dominates the Christian influencer world is a form of bait-and-switch.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2024

It’s a clever and nasty bit of social engineering — a bait and switch that preys on people’s curiosity and the simple pleasure of feeling included.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

In Coca-Cola’s view, however, the IRS made an unfair bait and switch.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

But Mr Navarra said introducing fees for a service that had previously been free, and users had been encouraged to use as such, may feel like a "bait and switch" for some.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2025

Primarily because their business model was based on bait and switch with customers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2025

According to an account by Galen, it was Euergetes who was responsible for one of the most notorious acts of bait and switch in ancient history.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Related Words

• chicanery
• deceit
• dishonesty
• razzle-dazzle
• scam
• shell game
• stunt