bait and switch

noun

1

: a sales tactic in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced item but is then encouraged to buy a higher-priced one

2

: the ploy of offering a person something desirable to gain favor (such as political support) then thwarting expectations with something less desirable

Examples of bait and switch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This subtle bait and switch from a national identity crisis to a personal identity crisis is imaginative and, for a time, intriguing, with Gadebois doing some very heavy lifting as the bad guy that means well but, nevertheless, behaves appallingly. —Damon Wise, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025

Medicare Advantage is a bait and switch scam & betrayal. —Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025

The first movie offered a bit of a bait and switch with a plot about a group of unlikely allies trying to survive a zombie outbreak evolving into something else entirely. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 20 June 2025

Gloria’s key allies in this bait and switch were Councilmembers Joe LaCava and Sean Elo-Rivera. —U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bait and switch

• bewitch
• distich
• enrich
• bitch
• ditch
• fiche
• glitch
• hitch
• ich
• itch
• kitsch
• lich

Legal Definition

bait and switch

noun

: a fraudulent or deceptive sales practice in which a purchaser is attracted by advertisement of a low-priced item but then is encouraged to purchase a higher-priced one

called also bait advertising