bait

verb \ ˈbāt \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of bait

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 ²bait)

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

See bait defined for English-language learners

See bait defined for kids

Examples of bait in a Sentence

baiting hooks with live worms
The interviewer kept baiting the politician by asking him whether he was lying.

Recent Examples of bait from the Web

Fear mongering and race baiting about MS-13 gangs, confederate statues, and sanctuary cities are divisive messages that worked for Trump.

— tara golshan, Vox, "If taxes aren’t working, will desperate Republicans keep turning to race-based attacks?," 6 Apr. 2018
However, some advisers have warned that the special counsel may be baiting the president into letting his guard down for any interview.

— Fox News, "FOX NEWS FIRST: Trump mulls sending National Guard to U.S.-Mexico border; Suspected shooter had feud with YouTube," 4 Apr. 2018
Aiming to offer a helping hand to those interested in following his lead Bellerin offered an insight into the misconceived perceptions of being a vegan, but did reveal that his teammates are constantly baiting him with meat.

— SI.com, "Arsenal's Hector Bellerin Reveals the Massive Dietary Change He Made for This Season," 29 Mar. 2018
With Utah big men David Collette and Tyler Rawson fouled out, Wooten baited Barefield -- a 6-foot-2 guard -- into driving into the lane for the tie.

— tyson alger, OregonLive.com, "Kenny Wooten steals the spotlight to send Oregon Ducks to Pac-12 tournament semifinal against USC," 9 Mar. 2018
Critics assailed such young companies for collecting millions of dollars in private funding and prioritizing spending on millennial-baiting office bars and decor over turning a profit.

— bloomberg, latimes.com, "Dropbox IPO: Shares soar in stock-market debut, pulling valuation above $10 billion," 23 Mar. 2018
Going to bear- and bull-baiting events that used dogs was a perfectly acceptable alternative to attending the theater for a performance of William Shakespeare’s latest play.

— Longreads, "The Way We Treat Our Pets Is More Paleolithic Than Medieval," 22 Mar. 2018
Many analysts have pointed to the ads as one reason Brownback won Sedgwick County in 2014, which helped carry him to re-election, but the ads also faced a wave of criticism and accusations of race-baiting.

— bryan lowry, kansascity, "Kobach trial touches on ads linking Brownback opponent, 2000 Wichita massacre | The Kansas City Star," 19 Mar. 2018
The traps, which are baited with cherry tomatoes and watermelon, have only ensnared unlucky raccoons so far.

— joe raedle, National Geographic, "The Controversial Way Florida Researchers Are Dealing With Invasive Iguanas," 12 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bait.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of bait

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

bait Synonyms

Synonyms

hassle, haze, heckle, needle, ride, taunt, tease;

Related Words

deride, gibe (or jibe), jeer, mock, ridicule;

annoy, bother, bug, burn (up), chafe, fret, frost, gall, get, gnaw (at), grate, gripe, irk, irritate, nettle, peeve, pester, pique, put out, rasp, rile, ruffle, spite, trouble, vex;

aggravate, exasperate, goad, test, try;

aggrieve, agitate, bedevil, beleaguer, discomfort, disturb, perturb;

badger, dog, hound;

browbeat, bully, hector;

harass, harry, persecute, plague, terrorize, torment, torture;

Phrases

make game of, pick on;

Synonym Discussion of 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

bait

noun

Definition of bait

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

See bait defined for English-language learners

Examples of bait in a Sentence

cheese used for bait in mousetraps
Wait until the fish takes the bait.
a wide selection of lures and baits

Recent Examples of bait from the Web

Most of the groups were bait fishing, and almost all of them were filling stringers with pan-sized rainbow trout.

— jordan rodriguez, idahostatesman, "Trolling season is off and running; steelhead are hitting (fishing report, April 6) | Idaho Statesman," 6 Apr. 2018
Spanish are showing around bait schools in the open sound as well as along the beaches, and some cobia are also starting to move along the beaches; www.ateamfishing.com.

— frank sargeant, AL.com, "Friday Fishing Report," 6 Apr. 2018
Scott Davidson will hit well enough to become trade bait by July.

— david haugh, chicagotribune.com, "Which is more likely in 2018: Cubs winning World Series or White Sox going .500? Or both?," 28 Mar. 2018
Two teenagers looking for minnows to use as bait found Rose’s body face down in a creek.

— scott wartman, Cincinnati.com, "Tim Nolan was a judge. Tim Nolan was a conservative activist. Tim Nolan was a human trafficker.," 26 Mar. 2018
Jaime then set off to the North to join the others in fighting the wights, leaving his sister behind to potentially become dragon bait.

— refinery29.com, "Uh, Jaime Lannister May Be Going Through A Huge Change In GOT's Final Season," 26 Mar. 2018
In years past, the state and some cities have used toxic bait to lower the squirrel population.

— phil diehl, latimes.com, "Squirrels have overrun some coastal cities and lost their fear of humans, officials say," 25 Mar. 2018
Anglers are scoring on steelhead using plugs and baits.

— sacbee, "Fishing Line: Week of March 19 | The Sacramento Bee," 20 Mar. 2018
In the western and tropical Pacific, the tuna fishery went from minuscule to the world’s largest (in terms of total catch) within a decade of recognizing that tuna school around large collections of driftwood—and then seeking out this bait.

— brian payton, Smithsonian, "How Driftwood Reshapes Ecosystems," 9 Feb. 2018

Origin and Etymology of bait

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

bait Synonyms

Other Hunting and Fishing Terms

chum, covert, creel, flense, pitfall, seine, skulk, spoor, trawl

BAIT Defined for English Language Learners

bait

verb

Definition of bait for English Language Learners

: to put a piece of food on (a hook) or in (a trap) in order to attract and catch fish or animals
: to try to make (someone) angry by using criticism or insults
: to use dogs to make (an animal, such as a bear or bull) angry or afraid