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

Questionable fee calculations, bait and switch practices and rejecting measures to improve transparency are not ways to earn that support. —Jan Goldsmith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026

The company had long promised the protection as a default for Instagram chat, and experts fear that the bait and switch could set a dangerous precedent in the tech industry. —Matt Burgess, Wired News, 21 Mar. 2026

But in classic O’Brien fashion, the sincerity turned out to be a bait and switch that gave rise to a bit of absurdist flight of fancy. —Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026

Everything was back to normal by the end of the episode, but this was anything but a mere bait and switch. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 Mar. 2026

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