bait

1 of 2

verb

ˈbāt 

baited; baiting; baits

transitive verb

1

a

: to persecute or exasperate with unjust, malicious, or persistent attacks

bait minority groups

: to try to make angry with criticism or insults

baiting a politician during a debate

b

: tease

2

a

: to harass (a chained animal, such as a bear) with dogs usually for sport

b

: to attack by biting and tearing

dogs baiting a fox

3

a

: to furnish with bait (see bait entry 2)

bait a fishing line

bait a trap

b

: entice, lure

baiting prospective buyers

4

: to give food and drink to (an animal) especially on the road

intransitive verb

archaic : to stop for food and rest when traveling

baiter noun

bait

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: something (such as food) used in luring especially to a hook or trap

using worms for bait

b

: a poisonous material placed where it will be eaten by harmful or objectionable animals

2

: lure, temptation

using bargains as bait for shoppers

Synonyms

Verb

• hassle
• haze
• heckle
• needle
• ride
• taunt
• tease

Noun

• decoy
• lure

Choose the Right Synonym for bait

bait, badger, heckle, hector, chivy, hound mean to harass by efforts to break down.

bait implies wanton cruelty or delight in persecuting a helpless victim.

baited the chained dog

badger implies pestering so as to drive a person to confusion or frenzy.

badgered her father for a car

heckle implies persistent annoying or belligerent interruptions of a speaker.

drunks heckled the stand-up comic

hector carries an implication of bullying and domineering.

football players hectored by their coach

chivy suggests persecution by teasing or nagging.

chivied the new student mercilessly

hound implies unrelenting pursuit and harassing.

hounded by creditors

Examples of bait in a Sentence

Verb

baiting hooks with live worms

The interviewer kept baiting the politician by asking him whether he was lying.

Noun

cheese used for bait in mousetraps

Wait until the fish takes the bait.

a wide selection of lures and baits

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In body-camera video posted by Irving police on Facebook, cars are seen stopped on the highway as the officer tries to bait the goat, seen hiding under a trailer truck. —Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024

In addition to the coyote baiting and hounding ban, Vermont Senate Bill 258 would dismantle and restructure the board with members from varied backgrounds through a new selection process. —Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 20 Mar. 2024

The best weapon against Bluto Ball is to keep your head, box out, avoid getting baited and let The Undertaker methodically brick himself into an early grave. —Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 31 Jan. 2024

Refuse to let anyone bait you into an argument or pressure you to condone changes that aren’t in your best interest. —Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024

The fish struck a size 8 hook baited with a worm—the simplest and most effective bait in the history of fishing. —Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 14 Feb. 2024

So they were baited into performing a silly little dancey-dance to MacLeod’s royalty-free, sick-ass jams. —Vulture, 7 Jan. 2024

Users allegedly are also baited into continually upgrading their subscriptions and paying for bonus features that promise to give them a better shot at finding love, but in reality, only boost the company's bottom line. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 15 Feb. 2024

Sinner consistently baited Medvedev by pulling him into midcourt, only to push him back. —Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2024

Noun

Facebook Show more sharing options A new cafe, bait shop and restaurant. —Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024

California’s wealthiest farm family — and scores of their workers — accused UFW of bait and trick. —Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024

Tackle and Baits Bass fishing lures and baits can be extremely overwhelming to beginners. —Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 3 Apr. 2024

As far as the delivery options anglers have to choose from, Walmart’s two main live bait offerings are nightcrawlers and red worms. —Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 3 Apr. 2024

That was the value of Maine's menhaden fishery last year, the bait fishermen use to catch lobster. —Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

No strobes nor bait were used to take this photograph, to cause as little a disturbance as possible. —Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024

These types of baits are particularly important the dirtier the water becomes and when fishing at night for both species. —Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 28 Mar. 2024

In the authors’ tests using bait to attract white sharks, Ocean Guardian’s Freedom+ Surf, a device designed for surfboards that sends out electric current to deter sharks, the percentage of bait taken dropped from 96% without the device to 40% with use of the device. —Gary Stoller, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old Norse beita; akin to Old English bǣtan to bait, bītan to bite — more at bite

Noun

Middle English, from Old Norse beit pasturage & beita food; akin to Old English bītan to bite

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing bait

• red-bait
• bait and switch
• fish or cut bait

Kids Definition

bait

1 of 2 verb

ˈbāt 

1

: to torment by repeated attacks

2

: to torment (an animal) with dogs

3

: to put bait on or in

bait a hook

baiter noun

bait

2 of 2 noun

1

: something (as food) used to attract animals to a hook or into a trap

2

: a poisonous material put where it will be eaten by and kill harmful or undesirable animals

3

: lure sense 1, temptation

Etymology

Verb

Middle English baiten "to tease, torment," from an early Norse word originally meaning "to cause to bite"

Noun

Middle English bait "a lure," from two early Norse words, one meaning "pasture" and the other meaning "food"