bear-baiting

¹ American  

[bair-bay-ting] / ˈbɛərˌbeɪ tɪŋ /

Or bearbaiting

noun

1. the former practice of setting dogs to fight a captive bear.

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bear baiting ² American  

[bair bay-ting] / ˈbɛər ˌbeɪ tɪŋ /

noun

Hunting.

1. the practice of placing food or other attractants to lure bears to a particular location so they can be hunted.

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bear-baiting British  

noun

1. (formerly) an entertainment in which dogs attacked and enraged a chained bear

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Other Word Forms

• bear-baiter noun

Etymology

Origin of bear-baiting

First recorded in 1580–90; bear ², bait (in the sense “to set dogs upon for sport”), -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

A similar ban on bear baiting, enacted in 2015 during the Obama administration, was rescinded by the 2020 rule, the park service said.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 6, 2023

She was cited for bear baiting, a charge that is still pending.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 26, 2018

Greyhound racing in Australia's most populous state is set to go the way of bear baiting and cock fighting - a sport deemed by authorities simply too distasteful to continue.

From BBC • Jul. 15, 2016

Ten U.S. states currently allow bear baiting, according to Humane Society data.

From Reuters • May 27, 2014

While bear baiting was in fashion, great part of the owner's profits arose from the money given by parents whose children had had a ride.

From Notes and Queries, Vol. III, Number 87, June 28, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. by Various