jailbait

[ jeyl-beyt ]

/ ˈdʒeɪlˌbeɪt /

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noun Slang.

a girl with whom sexual intercourse is punishable as statutory rape because she is under the legal age of consent.

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Origin of jailbait

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35; jail + bait

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

How to use jailbait in a sentence

As this list shows, punishments typically run to a short-ish jail sentence and/or a moderately hefty fine.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Violators face up to nine months in jail or as much as $10,000 in fines.
Judge: Rehoming Kids Is Trafficking|Tina Traster|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are millions of stories that end with black boys in jail cells.
Bobby Shmurda and Rap’s Ultimate Hoop Dream|Rawiya Kameir|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Brinsley got out of jail last July, and was desperate and aimless.
Alleged Cop Killer Ismaaiyl Brinsley Had a Death Wish|M.L. Nestel|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Some of them, including Kurnosova, escaped the country as they faced a possible jail term for their opposition activity.
Russians Plot Exiled Government in Kiev|Anna Nemtsova|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Why have I never heard until the day before yesterday of your suffering yourself to be cooped up in jail?
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens
The moment the bait was touched, down would come the heavy timber—smash—on the tiger's head.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
But what if I catch the fish by using a hired boat and a hired net, or by buying worms as bait from some one who has dug them?
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
They say that if he gets a judgment against you, Elder, he will put you in jail, and all that; but of course that couldn't be.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
Casey was arrested and conveyed to jail under great popular excitement.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for jailbait

jailbait

/ (ˈdʒeɪlˌbeɪt) /

noun

slang a young woman, or young women collectively, considered sexually attractive but below the age of consent

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