Pronunciation: /beɪt/
noun something used to attract fish or other animals for the purpose of catching them
A1 The fisherman used a worm as bait to catch a big fish.
A2 She put a piece of cheese on the mousetrap as bait to catch the mouse.
B1 The detective used the stolen necklace as bait to lure out the thief.
B2 The company offered a free trial as bait to attract new customers.
C1 The hacker used a phishing email as bait to steal sensitive information.
C2 The journalist used leaked documents as bait to expose government corruption.
verb to deliberately annoy or taunt someone in order to provoke a reaction
A1 She baited the hook with a worm and threw it into the water.
A2 The cat baited the mouse with a piece of cheese.
B1 The detective baited the suspect with false information to see if he would confess.
B2 The journalist baited the politician with tough questions during the interview.
C1 The hacker baited the target with a phishing email to steal sensitive information.
C2 The spy baited the enemy agent with false intelligence to gain valuable information.
formal The fisherman used a worm as bait to attract the fish.
informal I heard there's a new bait shop opening up down the street.
slang Don't take the bait when he tries to start an argument.
figurative The company used a free trial as bait to lure in new customers.
baited
baits
more bait
most bait
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have baited
is baiting
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to bait
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baited