Bait — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun /ˈbāt/

Meaning & Definition of Bait

Bait (verb)

  1. to persecute or exasperate with unjust, malicious, or persistent attacks, to try to make angry with criticism or insults
  2. tease
  3. to harass (a chained animal, such as a bear) with dogs usually for sport

Bait (noun)

  1. something (such as food) used in luring especially to a hook or trap
  2. a poisonous material placed where it will be eaten by harmful or objectionable animals
  3. lure, temptation

Bait (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. something used to attract animals to a hook or into a trap

    "cheese is the traditional bait for trapping mice"

    similar: decoy, lure
    related: ambush, net, trap, hook, snare, troll, plug, scent, spinner, stool pigeon, appeal, attraction, call, draw, incentive, pull, enticement, seducement, seduction, temptation, entanglement, entrapment
    near: repellent

  2. something that persuades one to perform an action for pleasure or gain

    "the promise of free vacation is surefire bait to get people to agree to be chaperones for school trips"

    similar: allurement, come-on, enticement, lure, siren song, temptation, turn-on
    related: appeal, call, attraction, boost, encouragement, goad, impetus, impulse, incentive, inducement, motivation, persuasion, seducement, seduction, spur, stimulus, decoy, snare, trap, entrapment, mousetrap
    near: alarm, alert, caution, forewarning, notice, warning

Bait (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults

    "I wished the candidates would stop baiting each other and instead address the real issues"

    similar: hassle, haze, heckle, needle, ride, taunt, tease, make game of, pick on
    related: deride, gibe, jeer, mock, ridicule, annoy, bother, bug, burn (up), chafe, fret, frost, gall, get, gnaw (at), grate, gripe, hack (off), hagride, irk, irritate, itch, nag, nark (British), nettle, peeve, pester, pique, put out, rasp, rile, ruffle, spite, trouble, vex, aggravate, exasperate, goad, test, try, aggrieve, agitate, bedevil, beleaguer, discomfort, disturb, perturb, badger, dog, hound, browbeat, bully, hector, harass, harry, persecute, plague, terrorize, torment, torture

  2. 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"

    similar: allure, beguile, betray, decoy, entice, lead on, lure, seduce, solicit, tempt
    related: draw in, inveigle, persuade, rope (in), snow, catch, enmesh, ensnare, entrap, mesh, snare, tangle, trap, bewitch, captivate, charm, enchant, fascinate, magnetize, wile
    near: alert, caution, forewarn, ward (off), warn, drive (away or off), repulse, turn away

Related Entry: Bait and switch (noun)

Bait and switch is a different word from Bait. The synonyms below are for bait and switch, not for bait.

  1. a selling method in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced product but then is encouraged to buy a more expensive one

    similar: switcheroo, about-face, about-turn (British), flip-flop, reversal, turnabout, turnaround, U-turn, volte-face, denial, disaffirmance, disavowal, disownment, recantation, renunciation, repudiation, retraction, reconsideration, retreat, second thought, hesitation, indecision, irresolution, shilly-shallying, vacillation, wavering, wobbling

Related Entry: Bait and switches (noun)

Bait and switches is a different word from Bait. The synonyms below are for bait and switches, not for bait.

  1. a selling method in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced product but then is encouraged to buy a more expensive one

    similar: switcheroos, about-faces, about-turns (British), flip-flops, reversals, turnabouts, turnarounds, U-turns, volte-faces, denials, disaffirmances, disavowals, disownments, recantations, renunciations, repudiations, retractions, reconsiderations, retreats, second thoughts, hesitations, indecisions, irresolutions, vacillations, wobblings

Related Entry: Fish (verb)

Fish is a different word from Bait. The synonyms below are for fish, not for bait.

  1. to search for something blindly or uncertainly

    "take a minute to fish for some change to drop in the donation box"

    similar: feel, fumble, grope, scrabble
    related: grabble, cast about, hunt, look, reach, seek (out), capture, clutch, corral, get, grab, nab, nail, seize, snatch, comb, dig (through), dredge, rake, ransack, rifle, rummage, scour

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Bait

The most common words with a similar meaning to Bait:

decoy, lure, allurement, come-on, enticement, siren song, temptation, turn-on, hassle, haze, heckle, needle, ride, taunt, tease, allure, beguile, betray, entice, lead on, seduce, solicit, tempt, make game of, pick on

Related Words for Bait

ambush, net, trap, hook, snare, troll, plug, scent, spinner, stool pigeon, appeal, attraction, call, draw, incentive, pull, seducement, seduction, entanglement, entrapment, boost, encouragement, goad, impetus, impulse, inducement, motivation, persuasion, spur, stimulus

Near Antonyms of Bait

repellent, alarm, alert, caution, forewarning, notice, warning, forewarn, ward (off), warn, drive (away or off), repulse, turn away

Word Forms of Bait

Inflections: baited, baiting, baits

Derived words: baiter (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Bait

Middle English, from Old Norse beita; akin to Old English bǣtan to bait, bītan to bite bite

First known use: 13th centuryt

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Bait

Words & Phrases Containing Bait

bait and switch, fish or cut bait, red-bait

Frequently Asked Questions about Bait

What does "Bait" mean?

"Bait" means to persecute or exasperate with unjust, malicious, or persistent attacks, to try to make angry with criticism or insults. As an a verb and a noun, it is defined as: to persecute or exasperate with unjust, malicious, or persistent attacks, to try to make angry with criticism or insults. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Bait"?

Other words for "Bait" include decoy, lure, allurement, come-on, enticement, siren song, temptation and turn-on. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Bait" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Bait"?

There are 133 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Bait". Common alternatives include decoy, lure, allurement, come-on, enticement, siren song, temptation, turn-on, hassle and haze.

How do you use "Bait" in a sentence?

Examples of "Bait" in a sentence: "cheese is the traditional bait for trapping mice"; "the promise of free vacation is surefire bait to get people to agree to be chaperones for school trips"; "I wished the candidates would stop baiting each other and instead address the real issues".

Is "Bait" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Bait" can be used as a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Bait" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C2-level word, "Bait" is typical of Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE), IELTS band 8.5–9.0, TOEFL iBT 114–120, PTE Academic 85–90. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Bait"?

"Bait" is pronounced /ˈbāt/.

What is the origin of the word "Bait"?

"Bait" comes from Middle English, from Old Norse beita; akin to Old English bǣtan to bait, bītan to bite bite. First known use: 13th centuryt.