bait

[ beyt ]

/ beɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bait ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

food, or some substitute, used as a lure in fishing, trapping, etc.

a poisoned lure used in exterminating pests.

an allurement; enticement: Employees were lured with the bait of annual bonuses.

an object for pulling molten or liquefied material, as glass, from a vat or the like by adhesion.

South Midland and Southern U.S.

a large or sufficient quantity or amount: He fetched a good bait of wood.
an excessive quantity or amount.

British Slang. food.

verb (used with object)

to prepare (a hook or trap) with bait.

to entice by deception or trickery so as to entrap or destroy: using fake signal lights to bait the ships onto the rocks.

to attract, tempt, or captivate.

to set dogs upon (an animal) for sport.

to worry, torment, or persecute, especially with malicious remarks: a nasty habit of baiting defenseless subordinates.

to tease: They love to bait him about his gaudy ties.

to feed and water (a horse or other animal), especially during a journey.

verb (used without object) Archaic.

to stop for food or refreshment during a journey.

(of a horse or other animal) to take food; feed.

QUIZZES

Fend Off Sciolism With This Word Of The Day Quiz

Are you the Cinderella of this week’s quiz? Test your memory on the words and definitions from March 23–29.

Question 1 of 7

schlep

to say or do hesitantly or awkwardly

to fold or wind around something

to carry; lug

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of bait

1150–1200; Middle English bait, beit (noun), baiten (v.) < Old Norse, probably reflecting both beita to pasture, hunt, chase with dogs or hawks (ultimately causative of bíta to bite; cf. bate³) and beita fish bait

SYNONYMS FOR bait

11 badger, heckle, pester.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bait ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM bait

bait·er, nouno·ver·bait, verb (used with object)re·bait, verb (used with object)un·bait, verb (used with object)

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bait

bait batebaited bated

Words nearby bait

baire, bairn, bairnsfather, baisa, baisakhi, bait, bait and switch, bait casting, bait-and-switch, baitfish, baith

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for bait

The gang does bait two officers with Noah, but another car comes tearing in and whisks them both away.
The Walking Dead’s ‘Crossed’: The Stage Is Now Set for a Bloody, Deadly Midseason Finale|Melissa Leon|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“A lot of times the people who are being smuggled here are just being used as bait,” he says.
How Mexico’s Cartels Are Behind the Border Kid Crisis|Caitlin Dickson|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Frisky took the bait, writing that “If famous works of art had been created today, they might have a whole different look.”
Botticelli's Venus Gets Photoshop Treatment|Lizzie Crocker|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The question is whether any Republican senators will take the bait.
Could Shutdown Skeletons Haunt Sylvia Burwell?|Ben Jacobs|April 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The legendary puppets have a conversation about Muppets Most Wanted, Oscar bait, and love tapping Tina Fey.
Exclusive: Kermit the Frog Grills Miss Piggy About ‘Muppets Most Wanted,’ Dating, and Hollywood|Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy|March 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is best to have the trap set so that mice nibbling at bait will not throw it.
Deadfalls and Snares|A. R. (Arthur Robert) Harding
The little stream is filled with trout; one has flies for bait which have to be kept on the move continually.
An Anarchist Woman|Hutchins Hapgood
The old woman made acorn bread for him, and showed him how to set rock traps and other traps, and how to bait them with acorns.
Creation Myths of Primitive America|Jeremiah Curtin
I've marked a place where I can tie my camera, and fix the bait so he'll have to be in range when the flash comes.
Phil Bradley's Mountain Boys|Silas K. Boone
The line is at once let out, so that the bait may not drag after the ship.
A Boy's Voyage Round the World|The Son of Samuel Smiles

British Dictionary definitions for bait (1 of 2)

bait¹

/ (beɪt) /

noun

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

an enticement; temptation

a variant spelling of bate 4

Northern English dialect food, esp a packed lunch

archaic a short stop for refreshment during a journey

verb

(tr) to put a piece of food on or in (a hook or trap)

(tr) to persecute or tease

(tr) to entice; tempt

(tr) to set dogs upon (a bear, etc)

(tr) archaic to feed (a horse), esp during a break in a journey

(intr) archaic to stop for rest and refreshment during a journey

Word Origin for bait

C13: from Old Norse beita to hunt, persecute; related to Old English bǣtan to restrain, hunt, Old High German beizen

usage for bait

The phrase with bated breath is sometimes wrongly spelled with baited breath

British Dictionary definitions for bait (2 of 2)

bait²

/ (beɪt) /

verb

a variant spelling of bate 2

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with bait

bait

In addition to the idiom beginning with bait

bait and switch

also see:

fish or cut bait
jump at (the bait)
rise to the bait

bait

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object) Archaic.

QUIZZES

Origin of bait

SYNONYMS FOR bait

OTHER WORDS FROM bait

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bait

Words nearby bait

Words related to bait

Example sentences from the Web for bait

British Dictionary definitions for bait (1 of 2)

noun

verb

Word Origin for bait

usage for bait

British Dictionary definitions for bait (2 of 2)

verb

Idioms and Phrases with bait