bait

[ beyt ]

/ beɪt /

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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.

SYNONYMS FOR bait

11 badger, heckle, pester.

See synonyms for bait on Thesaurus.com

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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, bate³

OTHER WORDS FROM bait

baiter, 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

1. bait , bate2. baited , bated

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for bait

They knew how to lure dogs into swamps, where they were used as bait for alligators.
These Pioneers Tried to Get the Confederate Flag Out of Mississippi 156 Years Ago|Fiona Zublin|December 3, 2020|Ozy
Elie calls this pages link bait pages because they easily attract links.
Video: Elie Orgel on using data to create pages that get links|Barry Schwartz|November 23, 2020|Search Engine Land
When a crab grabs the bait, you can feel the line move and slowly lift the crab toward the surface to be netted.
14 wild edibles you can pull right out of the ocean|By Bob McNally/Field & Stream|October 19, 2020|Popular Science
Crab trap success is dependent on using fresh baits, usually fish.
14 wild edibles you can pull right out of the ocean|By Bob McNally/Field & Stream|October 19, 2020|Popular Science

When line tension is released from the trap, it opens in a four-sided pattern, making the bait available to any nearby crab.
14 wild edibles you can pull right out of the ocean|By Bob McNally/Field & Stream|October 19, 2020|Popular Science
Open-carry activists are known for baiting cops into on-camera arguments about the Second Amendment and state laws.
Texas Gun Slingers Police the Police—With a Black Panthers Tactic|Brandy Zadrozny|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Limbaugh makes comments like this because his right-wing fans require a non–stop diet of race-baiting red meat.
Rush Limbaugh’s Fear of a Black James Bond|Dean Obeidallah|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When you saw it out in Ferguson, there was a baiting going on.
Ava DuVernay on ‘Selma,’ the Racist Sony Emails, and Making Golden Globes History|Marlow Stern|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Netflix prison dramedy, with its binge-baiting release strategy, is engrossing in every sense of word.
Inside Orange Is the New Black’s Terrifying Showdown Between Red and Vee|Kevin Fallon|June 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Desperate to stand out, some megachurches are baiting Easter crowds with flat-screen TVs, iPads, and Starbucks gift cards.
Can’t Fill the House On Easter? Try Handing Out Gadgets|Matthew Paul Turner|April 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Judge inquired if that was the sole object of the plaintiff, or was it not rather baiting with a sprat to catch a herring?
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
The little shrivelled don who had been omniscient about guns joined in the baiting, and displayed himself a venomous creature.
The New Machiavelli|Herbert George Wells
At Bamberg why should a Prussian Majesty linger, except for picturesque or for mere baiting purposes?
History Of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. VII. (of XXI.)|Thomas Carlyle
He seemed to be baiting his hook for another cast in the river.
Paul Patoff|F. Marion Crawford
Her blandness was beyond all baiting; she professed she could be as still as a mouse.
The Tragic Muse|Henry James

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

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