clickbait

[klik-beyt]

noun

1. a sensationalized headline or piece of text on the internet designed to entice people to follow a link to an article on another web page.

adjective

1. noting or relating to such internet content.

   Clickbait articles contribute to the online visibility of the news website.

Word History and Origins

Origin of clickbait¹

First recorded in 1995–2000; click ¹ (in the computer sense) + bait

Example Sentences

It is similar to its internet cousin clickbait, where a headline is used to lure a reader in to view an article or video.

Read more on BBC

While Atlas is selling outrageous content as “clickbait central,” as West said, Atlas is also clearly aware that YouTube and other platforms will demonetize an episode if the bots catch certain semi-banned trigger words.

Read more on Salon

While clickbait headlines have focused on whether the Nazi dictator had a micropenis and only one testicle, more serious are the findings that his DNA showed "very high" scores - in the top 1% - for a predisposition to autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Read more on BBC

Patel has defended his travel, dismissing his critics as “clickbait haters.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When dictators become celebrities and their atrocities become clickbait, they are almost beyond satire, which makes them especially dangerous.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

When To Use

What does clickbait mean?

Clickbait describes misleading internet content or shocking headline titles that aim to drive traffic to a website.