bearbaiting

[ bair-bey-ting ]

noun

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

Origin of bearbaiting

First recorded in 1580–90; see bear², bait (in the sense “to set dogs upon for sport”), -ing¹

Other words from bearbaiting

bearbaiter, noun

Words Nearby bearbaiting

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bearbaiting in a sentence

The Puritan hated bearbaiting, not because it gave pain to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the spectators.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington Macaulay
By this the whole matter had presented itself to them as an entertainment more diverting than bullfight or bearbaiting.
To Have and To Hold | Mary Johnston

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

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