Anagram Solver

Definitions for Bait

[1] food, or some substitute, used as a lure in fishing, trapping, etc.
[2] a poisoned lure used in exterminating pests.
[3] an allurement; enticement: Employees were lured with the bait of annual bonuses.
[4] an object for pulling molten or liquefied material, as glass, from a vat or the like by adhesion.
[5] 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.
[6] British Slang . food.
[7] to prepare (a hook or trap) with bait.
[8] to entice by deception or trickery so as to entrap or destroy: using fake signal lights to bait the ships onto the rocks.
[9] to attract, tempt, or captivate.
[10] to set dogs upon (an animal) for sport.
[11] to worry, torment, or persecute, especially with malicious remarks: a nasty habit of baiting defenseless subordinates.
[12] to tease: They love to bait him about his gaudy ties.
[13] to feed and water (a horse or other animal), especially during a journey.
[14] to stop for food or refreshment during a journey.
[15] (of a horse or other animal) to take food; feed.
[16] 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
[17] an enticement; temptation
[18] a variant spelling of bate 4
[19] Northern English dialect food, esp a packed lunch
[20] archaic a short stop for refreshment during a journey
[21] (tr) to put a piece of food on or in (a hook or trap)
[22] (tr) to persecute or tease
[23] (tr) to entice; tempt
[24] (tr) to set dogs upon (a bear, etc)
[25] (tr) archaic to feed (a horse), esp during a break in a journey
[26] (intr) archaic to stop for rest and refreshment during a journey
[27] a variant spelling of bate 2

Words related to Bait

enticement, entice, seduce, harass, irk, torment, tease, lure, temptation, come-on, attraction, drag, trap, bribe, snare, allurement, inducement, shill, bedevil, draw

Words nearby Bait

baire, bairn, bairnsfather, baisa, baisakhi, bait, bait and switch, bait casting, bait-and-switch, baitfish, baith

Origin of Bait

1150–1200; Middle English bait, beit (noun), baiten (v.) < Old Norse, probably reflecting both beita to pasture, hunt, chase with dogs or hawks (ultimately causative of bíta to bite; cf. bate3) and beita fish bait

Words that may be confused with Bait

bait, bate, baited, bated

Other words from Bait

bait·er , noun
o·ver·bait , verb (used with object)
re·bait , verb (used with object)
un·bait , verb (used with object)

Word origin for Bait

C13: from Old Norse beita to hunt, persecute; related to Old English bǣtan to restrain, hunt, Old High German beizen

Synonyms for Bait

enticement, allurement, attraction, bribe, come-on, drag, inducement, lure, shill, snare, temptation, trap, seducement