1
as in lure
something used to attract animals to a hook or into a trap
cheese is the traditional bait for trapping mice
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in temptation
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to taunt
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 to lure
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of bait
Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2024
No Name Pub got its start in 1931 as a general store and bait and tackle shop.
—Kara Franker, Southern Living, 23 Dec. 2024
Michael M. Dewitt, USA TODAY, 15 Nov. 2024
Harris really wanted more debates With limited time, Harris wanted to bait Trump into more debates after their first and only match-up on Sept. 10.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bait 
Noun
Unfortunately, Gi-hun’s tooth signal leads to a random fisherman’s bait.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2024
No Name Pub got its start in 1931 as a general store and bait and tackle shop.
—Kara Franker, Southern Living, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
Company employees and local police officers have been baiting the primates with food in an effort to lure them back to the facility.
—Michael M. Dewitt, USA TODAY, 15 Nov. 2024
Harris really wanted more debates With limited time, Harris wanted to bait Trump into more debates after their first and only match-up on Sept. 10.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bait
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bait
Noun
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Yet famous faces aside, Aspen’s lure lies way beyond its glitz and glamor.Elise Taylor, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2025
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Part of the lure for Hollywood has been a tax credit for film productions that Montana began offering in 2019.Janie Osborne, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024
Noun
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As practicing Mormons, the family built a brand on resisting the temptations of fame while capturing the spirit of the era with their flared jumpsuits and rollicking dance choreography.Hank Sanders, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025
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Acquiescing to the way the world works is one of the temptations of being a journalist, and in Italy, for nearly a generation, the way the world worked had been Fascist.Christopher Tayler, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Are his threats more provocations and taunts to his enemies than parts of a coherent vision to create a transformed United States in a world divided into transactional power blocks?Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
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Illinois defensive back Jaheim Clarke was injured on a play and tended to by trainers and his head coach, Bret Bielema. Bielema, apparently, was not pleased, and taunted South Carolina with a substitution signal.Ryan Morik, Fox News, 1 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The tax season hadn't even officially started in late December, but the TV ads already began tempting taxpayers with a free pitch to use the TurboTax app.Susan Tompor, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2025
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Self has always done best turning four-stars into five-stars through development, but it’s been tempting the last two years to try to plug-and-play through the portal.CJ Moore, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Make sure your plans include fallback options for these users but don’t fall into the trap of falling back onto lower-assurance security factors.Aaron Painter, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
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This is political gamesmanship at its worst, planting a trap for lawmakers by exploiting a tragedy.Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Pro Pickleball gets its first Video Game In mid July 2024, the PPA Pickleball video game, teased in Nov 2023, is officially released.Todd Boss, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
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Tesla has officially revealed the latest version of its Model Y crossover following images leaking online that teased the best-selling EV’s redesign.Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Film The Eternal Becoming of Sofia Coppola Soraya Roberts Like so many of her heroines, the director seduces to control.hazlitt.net, hazlitt.net, 4 Jan. 2025
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Football had already seduced the teenager when the father of a friend, who was the quarterback for the Everett High School team in Massachusetts where Sainristil starred, pulled some union ties for the cemetery job.Ben Standig, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025
Noun
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And by hanging the brand on the activewear hook, it’s given permission to expand across all kinds of fashion that goes beyond the gym and lounging at home to everyday wear, even the office.Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
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Speculation that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are on the hook ramped up recently after the Treasury Department released a roadmap for how removing the two entities from conservatorship would work.Christopher White, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near bait
Cite this Entry
“Bait.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bait. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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