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bait
[ beyt ]
noun
- 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.
- British Slang. 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.
Synonyms: , ,
- to tease:
They love to bait him about his gaudy ties.
- to feed and water (a horse or other animal), especially during a journey.
bait
1/ ɪ /
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
- dialect.food, esp a packed lunch
- archaic.a 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)
- archaic.tr to feed (a horse), esp during a break in a journey
- archaic.intr to stop for rest and refreshment during a journey
bait
2/ ɪ /
verb
- a variant spelling of bate 2
Usage
Other Word Forms
- İ noun
- v· verb (used with object)
- · verb (used with object)
- ܲ· verb (used with object)
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of bait1
Idioms and Phrases
In addition to the idiom beginning with bait , also see fish or cut bait ; jump at (the bait) ; rise to the bait .Example Sentences
As it turns out, you’ve been the target of a bait and switch.
No matter how baited by the other side or the press one may be, what if either party just laid low about it all for a while?
He has refused so far to take the bait.
The title, the cover, the font — they’re all rather effective bait.
That whole speech was just to shock and bait Emmy voters to give him a nomination.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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