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
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
The key is refusing to engage in circular or baiting conversations, instead setting boundaries and exiting nonproductive conversations.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Is Tennessee’s new deer baiting law in effect?
—Austin Hornbostel, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025
Just baiting and jumping it and finishing the play.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Amazon is really baiting us to breakup with our iPads by offering 50% off the newest generation of their Fire tablet.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2025
The objectionable programs in that case were not the Republican-baiting precincts of late-night television but the social taboo-breaking entertainments of Three’s Company, All in the Family and Knots Landing.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
The key is refusing to engage in circular or baiting conversations, instead setting boundaries and exiting nonproductive conversations.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Is Tennessee’s new deer baiting law in effect?
—Austin Hornbostel, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025
Just baiting and jumping it and finishing the play.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Amazon is really baiting us to breakup with our iPads by offering 50% off the newest generation of their Fire tablet.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2025
The objectionable programs in that case were not the Republican-baiting precincts of late-night television but the social taboo-breaking entertainments of Three’s Company, All in the Family and Knots Landing.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 27 Sep. 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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Pittsburgh appeared to go three-and-out on its second drive, but Cleveland's Rayshawn Jenkins was called for taunting.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Dec. 2025
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While negligible to his overall earnings, the penalty fits the league’s recent crackdown on celebrations and taunting, as several players were fined earlier this season for similar actions.—
Rowan Fisher-Shotton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Nov. 2025
Verb
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There’s a Redwall vibe to the third installment, as fan-favorite rattkin Fern gets carried away on an impromptu adventure involving a chaos-goblin who holds a bounty tempting enough for all the ne’er-do-wells to try and collect on.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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Pricing must stay fair enough for casual fans yet tempting enough for collectors.—
Dmitrii Khasanov,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The former Nickelodeon sitcom stars posted a new video on Instagram Wednesday, teasing what appeared to be a casual interaction as Peck sipped on a large drink in a plastic container.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Nov. 2025
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The Japan Mobility Show is in full swing in Tokyo, and some of the largest automotive brands in the world are debuting and teasing vehicle concepts that could shape their future portfolios.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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And this new college football world — where players are free agents every year — has dramatically benefitted Miami because of the Canes’ knack for luring top players (Cam Ward, Carson Beck, many others) and their financial wherewithal to offer them competitive NIL deals.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
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It's revealed that this beauty drug is infecting people with a virus that leads to death, luring in an investigation by FBI Agents Cooper Madsen, played by Evan Peters, and Jordan Bennett, played by Rebecca Hall.—
Yamillah Hurtado,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Where internet trolls often come off as flippant or spiteful, there is a relentless sense of play and mastery of language in even McNally’s most needling posts.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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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
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Jennifer then develops a taste for human flesh and begins seducing and killing teenage boys.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
27 Oct. 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 8 Jan. 2026.
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