AskEraser  |  Settings
Ask.com   
 


Synonyms
bait1 (bāt)

[Middle English, from Old Norse beita, food, fodder, fish bait, V., from Old Norse beita, to put animals to pasture, hunt with dogs.]

noun 

    1. Food or other lure placed on a hook or in a trap and used in the taking of fish, birds, or other animals.
    2. Something, such as a worm, used for this purpose.
  2. An enticement; a temptation.
  3. Archaic A stop for food or rest during a trip.

verb: bait·ed, bait·ing, baits. 

transitive verb 

  1. To place a lure in (a trap) or on (a fishing hook).
  2. To entice, especially by trickery or strategy.
  3. To set dogs upon (a chained animal, for example) for sport.
  4. To attack or torment, especially with persistent insults, criticism, or ridicule.
  5. To tease.
  6. To feed (an animal), especially on a journey.

intransitive verb 

Archaic
To stop for food or rest during a trip.

derivatives

bait́er
noun

usage note

Usage Note: The word baited is sometimes incorrectly substituted for the etymologically correct but unfamiliar word bated (“abated; suspended”) in the expression bated breath.
bait2 (bāt)

verb 

Variant of bate2
bate2,
also bait (bāt)

[Middle English baten, from Old French batre, to beat; see batter1.]

intransitive verb: bat·ed, also bait·ed, bat·ing, bait·ing, bates, baits 

To flap the wings wildly or frantically. Used of a falcon.