1
as in taunting
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
2
as in tempting
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
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Recent Examples of baiting
Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
That’s a tall order after expanding a literary world once, but doing it twice without baiting catastrophe is exponentially harder.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Dec. 2025
The disease was deeply contagious and caused horrific suffering to those afflicted, so public assemblies—like theater shows and bear-baiting fights—were frequently canceled to help slow the spread.
—Nathan Smith, Time, 26 Nov. 2025
If someone comes out with an album that's influenced by ‘70s rock, why is that person not nostalgia baiting?
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025
Realizing that Grok is now prone to praising Musk as superior in every respect, X users have taken to baiting it with increasingly ridiculous prompts.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2025
For reasons not entirely or even mostly of her own doing, Sweeney has become an exasperating celebrity — not above baiting the press, but so painstakingly media trained that her public appearances are devoid of substance and any sense of personality.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
People who are deaf or blind or veterans who have been declared 100% disabled, are eligible for special Independence hunts that allow baiting.
—Georgea Kovanis, Freep.com, 3 Nov. 2025
These areas are under carcass transportation and baiting restrictions to monitor and contain CWD, officials said.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
Start with uncovered cups, then increase difficulty by baiting only some cups to encourage scent work.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
That’s a tall order after expanding a literary world once, but doing it twice without baiting catastrophe is exponentially harder.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Dec. 2025
The disease was deeply contagious and caused horrific suffering to those afflicted, so public assemblies—like theater shows and bear-baiting fights—were frequently canceled to help slow the spread.
—Nathan Smith, Time, 26 Nov. 2025
If someone comes out with an album that's influenced by ‘70s rock, why is that person not nostalgia baiting?
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025
Realizing that Grok is now prone to praising Musk as superior in every respect, X users have taken to baiting it with increasingly ridiculous prompts.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2025
For reasons not entirely or even mostly of her own doing, Sweeney has become an exasperating celebrity — not above baiting the press, but so painstakingly media trained that her public appearances are devoid of substance and any sense of personality.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
People who are deaf or blind or veterans who have been declared 100% disabled, are eligible for special Independence hunts that allow baiting.
—Georgea Kovanis, Freep.com, 3 Nov. 2025
These areas are under carcass transportation and baiting restrictions to monitor and contain CWD, officials said.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baiting
Adjective
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To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Videos surfaced on social media showing Doncic taunting Schroder for turning down a four-year, $84 million contract with the Lakers in 2021.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
11 Jan. 2026
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Her reasoning is frustrating, but understandable — her husband (Yao), now a vampire, is taunting her outside, and Remmick has threatened to kill her daughter back in town.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Choosing safer plants, securing the tree and keeping tempting items out of reach can help ensure the season stays festive for everyone, including the four-legged members of the family.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Dec. 2025
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Fill your plate with healthier fare such as raw vegetables, shrimp cocktail and fresh fruit so there's less room for the higher-calorie dishes that are tempting you.—
Bethany Thayer,
Freep.com,
29 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Viewers see painful flashbacks throughout the show of classmates teasing Kelly about being overweight and daring her to drink urine.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
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On Wednesday, Duff ramped up the anticipation for her new album, teasing a new song about dive bar hookups, inconvenient roommates, and a once-red-hot romance fizzling into the tombs of relationship graveyards.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The archiving, and the exhibits that sometimes result, serve the dual purpose of not just saving the materials but also luring people back to Modulightor.—
Anthony Paletta,
Curbed,
13 Jan. 2026
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In many cases, a school's financial resources became more important to luring talent than its on-field tradition.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Glaser was at her best when needling awards-show tropes.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
13 Jan. 2026
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He’s repeated that sentiment in countless interviews over the years, but hearing him say it in front of his gently needling bandmates gives it a different kind of resonance.—
Jordan Runtagh,
PEOPLE,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In Arthur Penn’s 1975 neo-noir Night Moves, Griffith is Delly Grastner, a 16-year-old runaway with a little girl’s voice and a grown woman’s body—on full display in an underwater nude scene—intent on seducing Gene Hackman, 43 and paunchy.—
Lili Anolik,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
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The video featured a tired Madonna running into a mysterious man and woman in a hotel hallway, with the two seducing the singer into a night together, done as a tribute to the 1963 French film Bay of Angels, which starred Jeanne Moreau.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
26 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Vice President Vance appeared on FOX News Channel’s The Ingraham Angle hours after the heckling incident, telling the host about visiting with the national guardsmen and discussing recent changes to the city, while briefly mentioning the protesters.—
Jillian Frankel,
People.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Baiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baiting. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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