bait Hear it!

Jump To: synonymsSynonyms · examplesUsage Examples · quotesQuotes · linkLink/Cite
Also found in: idiomsAH Idiom Dictionary
bait definition

bait (bāt)

transitive verb

    1. to set attacking dogs against people formerly baited chained bears for sport
    2. to attack as such dogs do
  2. to torment or harass with unprovoked, vicious, repeated attacks
  3. to tease or goad, esp. so as to provoke a reaction
  4. to put food, etc. on (a hook or trap) to lure animals or fish
  5. to lure; tempt; entice
  6. Archaic to feed (animals) during a break in a journey

Etymology: ME baiten < ON beita < Gmc *baitian, caus. of *bitan: for base see bite

intransitive verb

Archaic to stop for food during a journey

noun

  1. food, etc. put on a hook or trap to lure fish or animals
  2. anything used as a lure; enticement
  3. ☆ Dialectal a large amount we wolfed down a bait of huckleberries
  4. Archaic a stop for rest or food during a journey

Etymology: ON beita, lure, fish bait

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms bait idiom

bait Synonyms

bait

n.

lure, inducement, bribe; see attraction 2.


bait

v.

  1. To provide with a lure

    set, furnish, cover, charge.

  2. To torment

    badger, harass, goad, hound, nag, tease, torment, hector, heckle, worry, persecute, beleaguer, anger, ride*, needle*, pick on*; see also bother 2.

  3. To lure

    entice, attract, draw; see deceive, fascinate, seduce, tempt.

to bait is to harass or goad, as with repeated, unprovoked attacks, insults, or derision, and implies that the persecutor gets malicious pleasure from the act; to badger is to pester so persistently as to bring to a state of confusion or wear down; to hound is to pursue or attack relentlessly until the victim succumbs he was hounded out of office; heckle denotes the persistent questioning and taunting of a public speaker so as to annoy or confuse; hector implies a continual bullying or nagging in order to intimidate or break down resistance; torment, in this comparison, suggests continued harassment so as to cause acute suffering tormented by her memories; ride is colloquial and implies harassment or teasing by ridiculing, criticizing, etc. they were riding the rookie unmercifully from the dugout


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

bait Usage Examples

Object

  • breath: Looking forward to the second with baited breath... .

Preposition: with

  • maggot: Our rods cast and baited with red maggots, we began the long wait for a bite.

Adjective modifier

  • frozen: Make sure you take along some frozen fish bait, just in case the dogfish are feeding.

Modifies a noun

  • dropper: His choice of feed for the perch swim was two bait droppers of bronze maggots with a few reds among them.

Noun used with modifier

  • hook: You can also work your way through hook baits trying double maggot or a single grain of hemp.
bait usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

bait quotes

   And what a congress of stinks!ö Roots ripe as old bait, Pulpy stems, rank, silo-rich, Leaf-mold, manure, lime, piled against slippery planks. Nothing would give up life: Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath.

-Rogers,Will

bait quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Link to this page:

Cite this page:

MLA Style

"bait." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/bait>

APA Style

bait. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/bait

Comments:

Please or Register to post a comment