food, or some substitute, used as a lure in fishing, trapping, etc.
a poisoned lure used in exterminating pests.
an allurement; enticement: Employees were lured with the bait of annual bonuses.
an object for pulling molten or liquefied material, as glass, from a vat or the like by adhesion.
South Midland and Southern U.S.
a large or sufficient quantity or amount: He fetched a good bait of wood.
an excessive quantity or amount.
BritishSlang. food.
verb (used with object)
to prepare (a hook or trap) with bait.
to entice by deception or trickery so as to entrap or destroy: using fake signal lights to bait the ships onto the rocks.
to attract, tempt, or captivate.
to set dogs upon (an animal) for sport.
to worry, torment, or persecute, especially with malicious remarks: a nasty habit of baiting defenseless subordinates.
to tease: They love to bait him about his gaudy ties.
to feed and water (a horse or other animal), especially during a journey.
verb (used without object)Archaic.
to stop for food or refreshment during a journey.
(of a horse or other animal) to take food; feed.
Origin of bait
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English bait, beit (noun), baiten (verb), from Old Norse, probably reflecting both beita “to pasture, hunt, chase with dogs or hawks” (ultimately causative of bíta “to bite”) and beita “fish bait”; cf. bite, bate3
SYNONYMS FOR bait
11 badger, heckle, pester.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR bait ON THESAURUS.COM
OTHER WORDS FROM bait
baiter,nouno·ver·bait,verb (used with object)re·bait,verb (used with object)un·bait,verb (used with object)
Realizing he could do the same on a large scale, he found a farmer who was breeding insects for fish bait, and recruited him to help launch Ÿnsect.
With backing from Hollywood, French startup Ÿnsect plans to bring edible insects to America|Vivienne Walt|October 12, 2020|Fortune
There are the seafood buffets and bait shops, which give way to newfangled Starbucks.
Fast-Food Buffets Are a Thing of the Past. Some Doubt They Ever Even Existed.|MM Carrigan|September 29, 2020|Eater
Jumping worms are often sold as compost worms or fishing bait.
Invasive jumping worms damage U.S. soil and threaten forests|Megan Sever|September 29, 2020|Science News
For a sub-30 percent shooter from three, he’s taken the bait too often.
Everything Should Be On The Table For The Houston Rockets. Even James Harden’s Future.|Chris Herring (chris.herring@fivethirtyeight.com)|September 14, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Such baits would be especially helpful if they attract other types of locusts, too, like the desert species.
A single chemical may draw lonely locusts into a hungry swarm|Jonathan Lambert|September 7, 2020|Science News For Students
The gang does bait two officers with Noah, but another car comes tearing in and whisks them both away.
The Walking Dead’s ‘Crossed’: The Stage Is Now Set for a Bloody, Deadly Midseason Finale|Melissa Leon|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“A lot of times the people who are being smuggled here are just being used as bait,” he says.
How Mexico’s Cartels Are Behind the Border Kid Crisis|Caitlin Dickson|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Frisky took the bait, writing that “If famous works of art had been created today, they might have a whole different look.”
The question is whether any Republican senators will take the bait.
Could Shutdown Skeletons Haunt Sylvia Burwell?|Ben Jacobs|April 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The legendary puppets have a conversation about Muppets Most Wanted, Oscar bait, and love tapping Tina Fey.
Exclusive: Kermit the Frog Grills Miss Piggy About ‘Muppets Most Wanted,’ Dating, and Hollywood|Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy|March 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is best to have the trap set so that mice nibbling at bait will not throw it.
Deadfalls and Snares|A. R. (Arthur Robert) Harding
The little stream is filled with trout; one has flies for bait which have to be kept on the move continually.
An Anarchist Woman|Hutchins Hapgood
The old woman made acorn bread for him, and showed him how to set rock traps and other traps, and how to bait them with acorns.
Creation Myths of Primitive America|Jeremiah Curtin
I've marked a place where I can tie my camera, and fix the bait so he'll have to be in range when the flash comes.
Phil Bradley's Mountain Boys|Silas K. Boone
The line is at once let out, so that the bait may not drag after the ship.
A Boy's Voyage Round the World|The Son of Samuel Smiles
British Dictionary definitions for bait (1 of 2)
bait1
/ (beɪt) /
noun
something edible, such as soft bread paste, worms, or pieces of meat, fixed to a hook or in a trap to attract fish or animals
an enticement; temptation
a variant spelling of bate 4
Northern Englishdialectfood, esp a packed lunch
archaica short stop for refreshment during a journey
verb
(tr)to put a piece of food on or in (a hook or trap)
(tr)to persecute or tease
(tr)to entice; tempt
(tr)to set dogs upon (a bear, etc)
(tr)archaicto feed (a horse), esp during a break in a journey
(intr)archaicto stop for rest and refreshment during a journey
Word Origin for bait
C13: from Old Norse beita to hunt, persecute; related to Old English bǣtan to restrain, hunt, Old High German beizen
usage for bait
The phrase with bated breath is sometimes wrongly spelled with baited breath