bait
[noun]
Synonyms:
- lure, allurement, attraction, decoy, enticement, incentive, inducement, snare, temptation
[verb]
Synonyms:
- tease, annoy, bother, harass, hassle (informal), hound, irritate, persecute, torment, wind up (Brit. slang)

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Related Words: annoy, bedevil, bother, devil, rag, worry, harass, harry, haze, vex, bug, nag, pester, push around

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. bait¹ /beɪt/ noun [singular, uncountable]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old Norse; Origin: beita 'food']

1. food 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. something 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 to become angry when someone is deliberately trying to make you angry:
Senator O'Brien just smiled, refusing to rise to the bait.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. bait² verb [transitive]
[Sense 1: Date: 1200-1300; Origin: ⇒ bait¹]
[Sense 2-3: Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old Norse; Origin: beita 'to cause to bite']

1. to put bait on a hook to catch fish or in a trap to catch animals

2. to deliberately try to make someone angry by criticizing them, using rude names etc

3. bear-baiting/badger-baiting etc the activity of attacking a wild animal with dogs

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

bait
noun
ADJ. fresh, live He used maggots as live bait.
VERB + BAIT put out, set out We'll put out the bait and see what happens.
use sth as | nibble (at), rise to, take (all often figurative) We hope that potential investors will take the bait.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

bait
beɪt
See: fish or cut bait

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲