baited; baiting; baits
1
a
: to persecute or exasperate with unjust, malicious, or persistent attacks
bait minority groups
: to try to make angry with criticism or insults
baiting a politician during a debate
b
: tease
2
a
: to harass (a chained animal, such as a bear) with dogs usually for sport
b
: to attack by biting and tearing
dogs baiting a fox
3
a
: to furnish with bait (see bait entry 2)
bait a fishing line
bait a trap
4
: to give food and drink to (an animal) especially on the road
archaic
: to stop for food and rest when traveling
baiter
noun
1
a
: something (such as food) used in luring especially to a hook or trap
using worms for bait
b
: a poisonous material placed where it will be eaten by harmful or objectionable animals
2
: lure, temptation
using bargains as bait for shoppers
Synonyms
Examples of bait in a Sentence
Verb
baiting hooks with live worms
The interviewer kept baiting the politician by asking him whether he was lying.
Noun
cheese used for bait in mousetraps
Wait until the fish takes the bait.
a wide selection of lures and baits
Recent Examples on the Web
Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
We are constantly baited by scammers—by text, by email, by phone.
—Alana Semuels, TIME, 18 Sep. 2024
Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
President Carol Folt has put the full weight of her office behind making this work, even getting behind a $200-million football performance center, when the school has plenty of other things to pay for.
USC, quite literally, can’t afford to cut bait now, in Year 3.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bait 
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.
Verb
Awards Emmys 2024: ‘Baby Reindeer’ has the numbers — and, soon, the Emmys
Aug. 14, 2024
Krieger speculated that the true-story element might have baited social media sleuths into hunting for the real Martha.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
We are constantly baited by scammers—by text, by email, by phone.
—Alana Semuels, TIME, 18 Sep. 2024
Noun
The study also shows how the effective existing management strategies are, such as limiting the number of days cage-diving operations can occur, controlling the amount of bait used, and reducing the amount of bait that sharks consume.
—Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
President Carol Folt has put the full weight of her office behind making this work, even getting behind a $200-million football performance center, when the school has plenty of other things to pay for.
USC, quite literally, can’t afford to cut bait now, in Year 3.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bait
Dictionary Entries Near bait
Cite this Entry
“Bait.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bait. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bait
1 of 2 verb1
: to torment by repeated attacks
2
: to torment (an animal) with dogs
3
: to put bait on or in
bait a hook
baiter
noun
bait
2 of 2 noun1
: something (as food) used to attract animals to a hook or into a trap
2
: a poisonous material put where it will be eaten by and kill harmful or undesirable animals
3
Etymology
Verb
Middle English baiten "to tease, torment," from an early Norse word originally meaning "to cause to bite"
Noun
Middle English bait "a lure," from two early Norse words, one meaning "pasture" and the other meaning "food"
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share