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

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
Little immediately ran back toward the opposite end zone and taunted some of the Eagles fans who lined the barrier.

— Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of taunted

Verb

Israel, feeling more exposed, might become more inclined to strike preventively, and without the United States involved, Iran and its regional proxies might be more tempted to strike back.

— Philip H. Gordon, Foreign Affairs, 12 Oct. 2026
You might be tempted by that pair of puppy dog eyes in the pet store window.

— Jane Sykes, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of tempted

Verb

Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at researcher Creative Strategies, said companies will have to see if users are lured by the prospect of paying more for enhanced processing power.

— Kif Leswing,Annie Palmer,Jordan Novet, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
The enigma of comets and asteroids lured the world’s space agencies into funding a series of robotic probes to study them.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of lured

Verb

The stance has seen Newsom, who warns the passage of Prop 40 could see an exodus of the super rich from California, mocked and dismissed by fellow Democrats.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed mocked Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy on Saturday, commenting on Portnoy's body and athleticism.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of mocked

Verb

Armani’s languid silhouette soon seduced red- and blue-blooded men the world over.

— Robb Report, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
The song is about a true story of three Dutch teenage girls in World War II, during the occupation, who seduced Nazi officers and murdered them in the woods.

— Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 3 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

The suspect, identified as Tyler Robinson, was detained following a 33-hour manhunt after his parents recognized him from surveillance footage broadcast in the media and persuaded him to turn himself in.

— Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
What finally persuaded Keitel was a lengthy passage written by Ferrara’s collaborator Zoë Lund, who also plays a woman with whom the lieutenant mainlines heroine.

— Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026