as in switcheroo
US
a selling method in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced product but then is encouraged to buy a more expensive one
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Recent Examples of bait and switch
The bait and switch approach to attracting customers is both widespread and costly for the American public.
—
Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Democrats worry there's a chance this option is a bait and switch, Grisales says.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
In the end, the comedic payoff often comes from the fact that the Truth Teller’s work isn’t very good—a curious bait and switch, if the show truly does aspire to prove the worth of dogged, ethical accountability reporting.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
This subtle bait and switch from a national identity crisis to a personal identity crisis is imaginative and, for a time, intriguing, with Gadebois doing some very heavy lifting as the bad guy that means well but, nevertheless, behaves appallingly.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bait and switch
Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Democrats worry there's a chance this option is a bait and switch, Grisales says.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
In the end, the comedic payoff often comes from the fact that the Truth Teller’s work isn’t very good—a curious bait and switch, if the show truly does aspire to prove the worth of dogged, ethical accountability reporting.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
This subtle bait and switch from a national identity crisis to a personal identity crisis is imaginative and, for a time, intriguing, with Gadebois doing some very heavy lifting as the bad guy that means well but, nevertheless, behaves appallingly.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bait and switch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bait and switch
Noun
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Since last season, the San Francisco Giants have had a little switcheroo, from poor outfield defense to good, average offense to one projected to be among one of the better lineups in the league, and a strong bullpen to one with question marks.—
Susan Slusser,
San Francisco Chronicle,
23 Mar. 2026
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Sophie has spent so long this season being a role of service, and for Benedict to now be washing her hair and then pleasuring her felt like a really nice switcheroo that Sophie deeply deserved.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Michigan finished the job, punctuating a remarkable two-year turnaround for May, who arrived at Michigan in 2024 after taking Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023.—
Justin Williams,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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Target is also in the middle turnaround effort and recently laid out its plan to overhaul key categories, including apparel and home.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That’s oodles of swimsuits, sunglasses, flip-flops and bags full of tiny travel lotions.—
Beth Collums,
AJC.com,
3 Apr. 2026
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For beach days, pool parties, and casual strolls around town, these best-selling flip-flops make for a comfy footwear choice.—
Mia Huelsbeck,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Conservative influencers, among others, blasted the turnabout and questioned Bondi’s capability.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
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In a turnabout-is-fair-play moment, a Sparty fan showed during a break of the Wolverines’ game was treated with equal disdain.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The department said the new $450 fee remains well below the government’s actual cost of processing renunciation requests.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
14 Mar. 2026
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British psychiatrist Humphry Osmond, who took part in a peyote ceremony with a First Nations group the Red Pheasant Band in Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1956, intuited the necessity of community, empathy, and ego renunciation during the psychedelic process.—
Erica Rex,
STAT,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This volte-face was not just about electoral politics.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
17 Jan. 2026
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The Kremlin has denied any such request was made, which tells you something about how Moscow views the optics of this diplomatic volte-face.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Subscriptions like Billie cover this for you without a second thought.—
Sabina Wizemann,
Good Housekeeping,
30 Nov. 2022
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In America, the allure of material comfort is accepted without a second thought.—
Sarah Zhang,
The Atlantic,
20 Nov. 2022
Noun
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But other scientists argue that there’s a lack of hard evidence showing glyphosate to be safe, especially following the retraction in November of a landmark study cited by many regulators as proof that the herbicide is not carcinogenic.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
23 Mar. 2026
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The letter notes the post was later retracted, though not for a full day, and that the retraction itself repeated the original accusation.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bait and switch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bait%20and%20switch. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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