1
as in lure
something used to attract animals to a hook or into a trap
cheese is the traditional bait for trapping mice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in temptation
something that persuades one to perform an action for pleasure or gain
the promise of free vacation is surefire bait to get people to agree to be chaperones for school trips
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to taunt
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
I wished the candidates would stop baiting each other and instead address the real issues
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to lure
to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage
the investment scheme cunningly baits the greedy and the unscrupulous
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bait
Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 19 June 2026
To make your own baits, mix 1 tablespoon of borax with 3 tablespoons each of sugar and water.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 18 June 2026
Byron W. Dalrymple, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2026
Chemical solutions include insecticide sprays, powders, and bait traps.
—Cori Sears, The Spruce, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for bait
Noun
Not everyone has taken the bait.
—Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 19 June 2026
To make your own baits, mix 1 tablespoon of borax with 3 tablespoons each of sugar and water.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 18 June 2026
Verb
But most bait users stick to tried-and-true oldies — minnows and worms, crawdads and crickets.
—Byron W. Dalrymple, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2026
Chemical solutions include insecticide sprays, powders, and bait traps.
—Cori Sears, The Spruce, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for bait
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bait
Noun
-
While most of them are completely fair game to use in every state when paired with an artificial lure, people are often surprised to learn that this is not always the case when fishing with live or natural dead bait.—
Joe Cermele,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
-
The lure of family, however, remains.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Those temptations offer an easy rise that can distract pleasure-seekers from engaging in more spiritually fulfilling long-term pursuits.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
16 June 2026
-
With fewer inspections required for skydiving planes than most commercial aviation, Robb argues the temptation is great for operators to use substandard equipment or make shoddy repairs.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
They are loaded with student debt and feel the hot breath of artificial Intelligence breathing down their necks, even as high mortgage rates taunt their dreams of home ownership.—
Louise Schiavone,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
The woman alleged that Jackson repeatedly refused to delete the video and then taunted her with it.—
Gary Klein,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
You may be tempted to make your way down to the beach at the bottom, but beware!—
Robert Annis,
Midwest Living,
21 June 2026
-
The whirlwind three-hour tour took us into the heart of the city, first to Mısır Çarşısı, or the Egyptian Bazaar, filled with aromatic spices and tempting Turkish delight, then to the stunning Rüstem Pasha Mosque, which was built in 1561.—
Susan B. Barnes,
Travel + Leisure,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
The lone bright spot from the midfield was the solid presence of Pedri who played out of position and still had a decent all-around performance, but even he was criticized by many on social media for falling into a familiar trap.—
Patrick Sung Cuadrado,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
-
Golden State sent more traps than usual and didn’t allow the former Notre Dame standout to get clean looks at the rim or from the 3-point line.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, took over as chief executive of Relativity a little more than a year ago, teasing new areas of focus such as orbital data centers, philanthropic space science ventures, and national security missions.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
19 June 2026
-
The singer has been teasing the song on tour this summer.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
One class in, and Hannah is thoroughly seduced both by Melanie’s flattery and by her therapyspeak approach to acting, with its talk of truth-telling and connecting to one’s body.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 June 2026
-
Young women being preyed upon and seduced by rapacious Hollywood producers, stars and studio heads is a tired cliché, but like all clichés, it is based on reality.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Daniel takes advantage of this momentary distraction to deliver a left hook, right punch to the gut, asking Lestat about his maker, Magnus (Damien Atkins).—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
-
For possibly the easiest method to line-dry your clothes, opt for a budget-friendly clothesline like this design that doesn’t require any hooks, spacers, or hangers.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
21 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bait.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bait. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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