From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishrise to the baitrise to the baitANGRYto become angry when someone is deliberately trying to make you angry Senator O'Brien just smiled, refusing to rise to the bait. → bait
Examples from the Corpus
rise to the bait• He was a real showman, and however he was feeling, he always rose to the bait of a captive audience!• But she never rose to the bait.• I felt I was arguing on behalf of myself and the other two, who never rose to the bait.• But she clamped her lips together and didn't rise to the bait.• She could rage till she fell down in a fit, but he wouldn't rise to the bait.• They rose to the bait and decided they needed to prove a point, putting together their nine-piece Bootsy Collins-featuring live band.• She was concentrating too intently to rise to the bait.• Do you rise to the bait? 