as in switcheroo
US
a selling method in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced product but then is encouraged to buy a more expensive one
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Recent Examples of bait and switch
In the end, the comedic payoff often comes from the fact that the Truth Teller’s work isn’t very good—a curious bait and switch, if the show truly does aspire to prove the worth of dogged, ethical accountability reporting.
—
Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
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
Yet as outrageous as this bait and switch was, the trash fee scheme is also awful for many other reasons.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bait and switch
Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
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
Yet as outrageous as this bait and switch was, the trash fee scheme is also awful for many other reasons.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bait and switch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bait and switch
Noun
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To have eight minutes of jokes also function as the setup for one big fat switcheroo is rare, impressive, and difficult to orchestrate.—
John Roy,
Vulture,
21 Oct. 2025
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Reeves, Rogen, and Ansari, post-switcheroo.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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While some of these chains have faced ongoing issues, others are experiencing abrupt downturns after enjoying recent periods of strength — with no turnaround in sight.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
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Cunningham was the main driver of the sharp turnaround with his 26 points per game and seventh-place finish in MVP voting.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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This method depends on the fact that Earth’s magnetic field flip-flops every few hundred thousand years.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
7 Jan. 2026
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The weather flip-flop looks set to continue into January, with afternoon peak temps this week approaching 80 degrees, while morning lows next weekend drop back into the 30s and 40s.—
Mary Wasson,
Austin American Statesman,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The rapid turnabout raises questions about the status of the investigation and the community’s safety three days after a suspect opened fire on the Ivy League campus, killing two students and injuring nine others.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
16 Dec. 2025
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That decline, a sharp turnabout from October, was led by businesses with fewer than 50 workers, which saw their payroll numbers sink by 120,000.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
3 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The duo’s renunciation has its limits, though.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
8 Dec. 2025
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The Court held that Congress has no power under the Constitution to divest a person of his United States citizenship absent his voluntary renunciation of it.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Britain is not the only country pressed into making a volte-face.—
London Business School,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
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The realities of Putin’s momentum, coupled with Washington’s volte-face, have led to a clear mood shift in Kyiv.—
Daryna Mayer,
NBC News,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Subscriptions like Billie cover this for you without a second thought.—
Sabina Wizemann,
Good Housekeeping,
30 Nov. 2022
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In America, the allure of material comfort is accepted without a second thought.—
Sarah Zhang,
The Atlantic,
20 Nov. 2022
Noun
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However, a Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet spokesperson said Wayfair requested a retraction of the notice that same day.—
Gillian Stawiszynski,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
17 Oct. 2025
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That letter should be followed with a retraction.—
Paul Craney,
Boston Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bait and switch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bait%20and%20switch. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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