BAITED Synonyms: 112 Similar and Opposite Words

baited

verb

past tense of bait

as in taunted

to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults I wished the candidates would stop baiting each other and instead address the real issues

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in tempted

to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage the investment scheme cunningly baits the greedy and the unscrupulous

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of baited Southampton’s first game of the season was at Watford, whose fans baited Eckert’s team. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026 In our testing, a paper-funnel trap baited with overripe fruit and fruit-forward vinegar consistently caught the most flies. — Emma Jacobson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 Aug. 2026 Some programs investigate complaints by setting small surveillance traps—often baited with light, carbon dioxide, water, or another attractant—to collect mosquitoes, identify the species, and gauge where activity is concentrated. — Angela Haupt, Time, 3 Aug. 2026 The federal agency detailed removal efforts on its website, including traps baited with eggs and trackers to lure tegus and study their movements. — Rylan Digiacomo-Rapp, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 July 2026 Spurs center Victor Wembanyama baited Towns and Knicks center Mitchell Robinson into fouls. — Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026 There are baited Japanese beetle traps, but research at the University of Kentucky shows that the traps attract many more beetles than are actually caught. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 30 May 2026 After Holmgren baited Hauser into a foul — deja vu from the final seconds of C’s-Thunder Round 1 — Baylor Scheierman replaced him and buried two quick triples, the second putting the Celtics up 74-73. — Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 26 Mar. 2026 Claude, for example, wouldn’t be baited into partisan controversy. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for baited

Verb

More recently, Vega helped fund Diego Marcon’s Krapfen (2025), a film in which a child is taunted by invisible beings that sing and dance.

— Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
The woman, who also reported it to the league, alleged that Jackson refused to delete the video and taunted her with it.

— Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of taunted

Verb

While maintaining a genderless approach, the fragrance collection will evolve to pay tribute to female personalities that marked Milan’s history, teased Cantù.

— Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2026
Additionally, Weir applauded a commitment to supporting women founders across the UK that was teased in the Budget, highlighting that six in 10 shows during LFW are headed up by women.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of teased

Verb

Afterwards, everyone was lured by the sound of salsa music into Bar Lelarge for a nightcap before scattering around the hotel.

— Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
That night, Pike, her boyfriend, 17-year-old Tadaryl Shipp, and an acquaintance, Shadolla Peterson, 18, lured Slemmer to an isolated area behind the agricultural campus steam plant.

— Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of lured

Verb

That may earn her the admiration of her college comrades, but at home, she’s seen as an idealistic naif — mocked, in particular, by her older brother Milan (Miodrag Dragicevic), who is staunchly right-wing in his sympathies.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 27 Oct. 2026
Utah removed the video and apologized, while ESPN defended McAfee’s safety concerns; online reaction largely mocked his response.

— Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of mocked

Verb

Will Stewart be seduced into the path of corruption by using Sinestro’s emotionally tainted battery, or steel himself against ill influences and continue to blaze his own trail as Earth's sole protector for the time being?

— Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Armani’s languid silhouette soon seduced red- and blue-blooded men the world over.

— Robb Report, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of seduced

Verb

But while Cartman and Ike are in Sephora, they get enticed into going into the backrooms with an employee, which look straight out of Kane Parsons’ horror film.

— Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
During the mid-2000s, some tribal members, enticed by a chance at life-changing money, got involved in moving people and drugs, fueling cycles of arrest and incarceration that exacerbated challenges the community was already facing.

— Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of enticed

Verb

Unconvinced that politicians will help These political gestures have not persuaded Linda Moodie, an independent who's been volunteering with Conserve Ohio.

— Andrea Hsu, NPR, 28 Oct. 2026
The missions never fully persuaded shippers that these waterways were safe—especially the Red Sea—or prevented Iran and the Houthis from eventually returning to their efforts to exploit the chokepoints.

— Dana Stroul, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2026