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 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 During Moore’s arrest, another officer baited him into making an incriminating statement, Judge Patton found at the preliminary hearing. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for baited

Verb

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) announced an investigation after Al Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves appeared to be taunted by the chants during their away league win on Saturday.

— Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
The rivalry between the two stars dates back to the 2023 NCAA women’s national championship game, when Reese's LSU Tigers defeated Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes and Reese famously, and without class, taunted Clark in the closing moments.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of taunted

Verb

Twenty-four centuries later, Jonathan Franzen destroyed his laptop’s Ethernet port so he wouldn’t be tempted to go online.

— Meghan O’Gieblyn, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
You might be tempted to label it pull-quote hyperbole had the Oscar-winning documentarian put this particular testimonial near the beginning of his two-part, four-hour movie.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of tempted

Verb

The studio teased the adaptation during its CinemaCon presentation earlier this year after first announcing the project at CES in 2025.

— Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
Lee teased the partnership over the summer at San Diego Comic-Con, assuring the audience in Hall H that the DC IP would be in good hands with the Stuart team.

— Katie Campione, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of teased

Verb

Or maybe he was lured into his thoughtless comments because of the jocularity inside that room full of reporters.

— Candace Buckner, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Voight’s trio became an industry conduit to Trump, pitching the president on ways to stem the flow of production overseas as it was lured by increasingly attractive tax credits.

— Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of lured

Verb

In fact, after the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, which killed six and injured more than a thousand people but hardly rocked the buildings, ironworkers mocked the idea that any terrorist could ever take down those great structures.

— Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
He was criticised by Guardiola last season for not challenging Virgil van Dijk anywhere near enough at Anfield in February, and he was mocked by supporters at Old Trafford in January after he was kept quiet by Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire.

— Sam Lee, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of mocked

Verb

Many have taken up such invitations, seduced by the island’s stress-free, go-slow rhythm.

— Michelle Jana Chan, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Sep. 2026
Or if leadership got seduced by silhouette, movement and atmosphere, neglecting to marry the galleries to the overall concept.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of seduced

Verb

While Bryan the Medical Courier may not be a marquee attraction, Abrams plays his bumbling so hilariously yet relatably that some kids may be enticed.

— Jesse Hassenger, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
Once inside the warehouse, shoppers tend to linger, enticed by a potent cocktail of comforting routine, retail adrenaline and cheap eats.

— Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026