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”; cf. bite, bate ³

Explanation

People who go fishing aren’t the only ones to use bait. When you hold a yard sale, place your best stuff closest to the sidewalk — to serve as bait. Bait can be anything from the worms that hide a hook to a stereo that tempts shoppers to stop and browse. Bait can also mean the act of getting someone or something to do what you want. For generations, students have baited their teachers into wasting class time with a question about a personal interest or obsession: “This talk about integers is very fascinating, Mr. Green, but what do you think about last night’s Penguins game?” Bait comes from the Old Norse, word beita — “to cause to bite.” Asking Mr. Green what other Viking words he knows might be interesting, and provide bait for his next off-topic musing.

Example Sentences

Jacob Elordi, off of an Oscar nomination, is the most obvious ‘Euphoria’ bait, and I hope voters give grizzled veteran Sam Elliott his due for a memorable ‘Landman’ arc.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

He did not rise to the prime minister's bait at the cabinet meeting.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

"You can imagine that anxiety and fear building up. 'Are we just bait? Are we going to be a victim so that someone can make a point?'"

From Barron's • May 9, 2026

Here, the big-budget sequel functions as bait: reel the people in, make them laugh, open their hearts and minds, then punch them in the gut.

From Salon • May 1, 2026

Then, I brushed every single sheep and rubbed their wool with mountain lion bait.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

• harass
• irk
• tease
• torment