bait
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.
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.
Origin of bait
1Other words for bait
Other words from bait
- baiter, noun
- o·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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use bait in a sentence
Rush Limbaugh maintains that his efforts to buy an NFL football team failed due to the pernicious influence of race-baiters.
And now that the passage in Dante is made so clear, pray go and see what has become of the badger-baiters.
Rob Roy, Volume 1., Illustrated | Sir Walter ScottThe whole troop of bull-baiters rode up on a mad gallop in a cloud of dust, the riders seeming to gain in size at every bound.
The Blood of the Arena | Vicente Blasco IbezThe clamor of the Catholic-baiters did not stop with a demand that Romanists should be expelled from England.
The Beginners of a Nation | Edward Eggleston.Village entertainment included traveling jesters, acrobats, musicians, and bear-baiters.
Our Legal Heritage, 5th Ed. | S. A. Reilly
Nothing was more notorious than that nine-tenths of the leading Bradlaugh-baiters were the least worthy men in the House.
Charles Bradlaugh: a Record of His Life and Work, Volume II (of 2) | Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner and J. M. (John Mackinnon) Robertson
British Dictionary definitions for bait (1 of 2)
/ (beɪt) /
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
(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
Origin of bait
1usage For bait
British Dictionary definitions for bait (2 of 2)
/ (beɪt) /
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with 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
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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