clickbait
noun
click·bait
ˈklik-ˌbāt 
: something (such as a headline) designed to make readers want to click on a hyperlink especially when the link leads to content of dubious value or interest
It is difficult to remember a time when you could scroll through the social media outlet of your choice and not be bombarded with: You'll never believe what happened when … This is the cutest thing ever … This the biggest mistake you can make … Take this quiz to see which character you are on … They are all classic clickbait models.—
Emily Shire
Emily ShireExamples of clickbait in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
American viewers who are accustomed to MAGA-style trolling might expect the Lego videos to be driven by a certain clickbait nihilism—brain rot, Tehran-style.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
Cohen has had conversations with other people working in the industry about how AI is already being integrated more into the videos, potentially posing a threat to the existence of human actors in clickbait content.
—Kat Tenbarge, Wired News, 25 Mar. 2026
All are trying to change their lives, or at least their business plan, including Joyce, a journalist stuck writing clickbait articles for an editor who doesn’t want to know, and Megan Wilding as Nova, an animal control worker who knows something important about an exploding crocodile.
—Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, Joyce, a reporter stuck doing clickbait listicles for a bubbly Gen Z boss, begins poking around into a story about an exploding crocodile, an unexpected phenomenon that could put our desperately striving protagonists in further jeopardy.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clickbait
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Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
Cohen has had conversations with other people working in the industry about how AI is already being integrated more into the videos, potentially posing a threat to the existence of human actors in clickbait content.
—Kat Tenbarge, Wired News, 25 Mar. 2026
All are trying to change their lives, or at least their business plan, including Joyce, a journalist stuck writing clickbait articles for an editor who doesn’t want to know, and Megan Wilding as Nova, an animal control worker who knows something important about an exploding crocodile.
—Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, Joyce, a reporter stuck doing clickbait listicles for a bubbly Gen Z boss, begins poking around into a story about an exploding crocodile, an unexpected phenomenon that could put our desperately striving protagonists in further jeopardy.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clickbait
Cite this Entry
“Clickbait.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clickbait. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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