From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbaitbait1 /beɪt/ ●○○ noun [singular, uncountable] 1 DSOfood used to attract fish, animals, or birds so that you can catch them We used worms as bait. The fish wouldn’t take the bait.2 FORCE somebody TO DO somethingsomething attractive that is offered to someone to make them do something or buy something, especially when this is done in a dishonest way that tricks people Plenty of people took the bait (=accepted what was on offer) and lost their life savings.3 → rise to the bait
Examples from the Corpus
bait• For interferon has been dangled as a bait before investors with more money than scientific sense.• The more supple a line the more natural a bait will behave in the water.• Some individual birds do not use edible bait, but inedible lures, such as feathers.• Worms make excellent fish bait.• Don't you know you're using that boy like bait to catch a fish?• For a beginner, the bait is often one of the hedgehog cacti, also known as the Echinocereanae.• I felt I was arguing on behalf of myself and the other two, who never rose to the bait.• The bait here is a certificate good for future travel for your cooperation in delaying your trip.• My favourite game was capturing two using bait and a net, then tying them together.take the bait• The yellowfins, too, were becoming wary and took the bait less often.• And in any case, the other austere Benedictine had taken the bait.• Maybe you stationed yourself where you could keep an eye on the lobby to see if I took the bait.• But in the stagecraft of dethronement, Kingsley had not taken the bait, had not even blinked.• Satan took the bait and fastened his teeth reflexively on the blocking forearm.• She had the disagreeable impression that she'd now well and truly taken the bait, and was to provide entertainment accordingly.• It seemed inevitable that he would take the bait that had been laid out in the Park for him.took the bait• The yellowfins, too, were becoming wary and took the bait less often.• Maybe you stationed yourself where you could keep an eye on the lobby to see if I took the bait.• Plenty of people took the bait and ended up losing their life savings.• Satan took the bait and fastened his teeth reflexively on the blocking forearm.baitbait2 verb [transitive] 1 DSOto put bait on a hook to catch fish or in a trap to catch animals2 CRITICIZEto deliberately try to make someone angry by criticizing them, using rude names etc3 → bear-baiting/badger-baiting etc→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
bait• All the traps were baited, but none of them was set.• Marge felt that Kitty was baiting her.• Nicola was baiting him now, kicking water, her face contorted with anger.• Ben told me that Carl had baited him.• He said I was baiting him.• Goodman refused to be baited into saying anything bad about his co-star.• Johnson quickly baited up in the silence.• Elice occasionally flirted with Nathan to bait Urran.• I suppose Miss Martindale had been baiting you?Origin bait1 (1200-1300) Old Norse beita “food” bait2 1. (1200-1300) → BAIT12. (1100-1200) Old Norse beita “to cause to bite” 