bait — food used to attract and catch fish or animals
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: food used to attract and catch fish or animals
Pronunciation (IPA): /beɪt/
Example Sentences
- My cat always falls for the laser pointer bait, even though she never catches it.
- The clickbait headline 'You won't believe what happened next!' made me click instantly.
- Don't bait the teacher by asking if the test is really necessary - you know the answer!
bait
NOUN[/beɪt/]
food used to attract and catch fish or animals
The fisherman used live bait to catch a large fish.
The hunters placed bait to attract the deer. (🎣 Lure + 🪤 Trap → Bait)
The fish ignored the bait, waited patiently, and escaped the hook.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The word derives from Old Norse 'beita' (to feed, to cause to bite), attested from the 13th century. Originally denoted the act of placing food for animals to consume, the semantic range later extended to mean 'to lure' or 'to entice'.
Breakdown
Old Norse beita (to cause to bite, feed) → bait. The root beita carries the sense of inducing an animal to bite or consume food, which metaphorically developed into the modern sense of tempting or luring someone.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My cat always falls for the laser pointer bait, even though she never catches it.”
“The clickbait headline 'You won't believe what happened next!' made me click instantly.”
“Don't bait the teacher by asking if the test is really necessary - you know the answer!”
“The store used free samples as bait to attract more customers.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related
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