bearbaiting

[ bair-bey-ting ]

/ ˈbɛərˌbeɪ tɪŋ /

noun

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

Nearby words

bear's-foot, bear's-paw, bear-baiting, bear-hug, bearable, bearbaiting, bearberry, bearcat, beard, beard moss, beard the lion

Origin of bearbaiting

1250–1300; Middle English. See bear², bait(def 10), -ing¹

Related forms

bear·bait·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bear-baiting

It is also true that the New York Post practices the celebrity equivalent of bear-baiting.
Should MSNBC Fire Alec Baldwin and Martin Bashir?|Lloyd Grove|November 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Bull-running and bull-baiting was an attraction only rivalled by bear-baiting.
Old Country Inns of England|Henry P. Maskell
Crossing over now to the Surrey side, we see conspicuously the two round pens for bull- and bear-baiting respectively.
Maps of Old London|Anonymous
The bull-fight is spreading to France, and English newspapers are advocating the reintroduction of bear-baiting and cock-fighting.
Tea-Table Talk|Jerome K. Jerome

They afford much sport to those inclined for such exercises; but the cruel practice of bear-baiting is discontinued.
Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of Animals|R. Lee
Long before the legitimate drama made its appearance, bull and bear-baiting flourished at Bankside.
Medival London|William Benham

British Dictionary definitions for bear-baiting

bear-baiting

noun

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

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

bearbaiting

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of bearbaiting

Related forms

Examples from the Web for bear-baiting

British Dictionary definitions for bear-baiting

bear-baiting

noun