1
as in taunting
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
I wished the candidates would stop baiting each other and instead address the real issues
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in tempting
to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage
the investment scheme cunningly baits the greedy and the unscrupulous
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of baiting
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
27 June 2026
The problem with Fishback’s ideas is that many spring from rage-baiting rhetoric that has little to do with Florida’s current reality— but could attract people who might not otherwise vote.
—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 June 2026
Terminix is widely considered the industry leader for termites due to their pioneering history, use of Sentricon baiting systems, and superior structural repair guarantees.
—
Nick Perry,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
Diners aren’t baiting first-bite TikTok reaction shots.
—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
One of the most well-known is Kitboga, a YouTube personality, scammer-baiting streamer, and the founder of an anti-scam software company.
—
Kim Key,
PC Magazine,
3 Apr. 2026
The replies are mostly AI bots, or rage-baiting stan accounts.
—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
15 Feb. 2026
Never mind foul-baiting and load management, the hottest topics circling the NBA in 2026 are tanking and the opposite – trying too hard to win, allegedly, in the Clippers’ case.
—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
15 Feb. 2026
The city's Bureau of Rodent Control has around 20 baiting crews throughout Chicago during peak season, responding to more than 100,000 service requests per year.
—
Tara Molina,
CBS News,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
Palestra is excellent at baiting defenders into committing to a tackle before racing past them.
—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
27 June 2026
The problem with Fishback’s ideas is that many spring from rage-baiting rhetoric that has little to do with Florida’s current reality— but could attract people who might not otherwise vote.
—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 June 2026
Terminix is widely considered the industry leader for termites due to their pioneering history, use of Sentricon baiting systems, and superior structural repair guarantees.
—
Nick Perry,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
Diners aren’t baiting first-bite TikTok reaction shots.
—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
One of the most well-known is Kitboga, a YouTube personality, scammer-baiting streamer, and the founder of an anti-scam software company.
—
Kim Key,
PC Magazine,
3 Apr. 2026
The replies are mostly AI bots, or rage-baiting stan accounts.
—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
15 Feb. 2026
Never mind foul-baiting and load management, the hottest topics circling the NBA in 2026 are tanking and the opposite – trying too hard to win, allegedly, in the Clippers’ case.
—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
15 Feb. 2026
The city's Bureau of Rodent Control has around 20 baiting crews throughout Chicago during peak season, responding to more than 100,000 service requests per year.
—
Tara Molina,
CBS News,
13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baiting
Adjective
-
To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!
Verb
-
Hendry sang, taunting Austin Theory, Logan Paul, Paul Heyman and even Brock Lesnar.
-
Though suspicious, the recording was not considered incriminating, as Hodel may have suspected his home was wiretapped and was taunting police.
Verb
-
The Casa Amor women are tasked with tempting the villa men to stray from their existing relationships while they are separated from the villa women for several days.
-
While many dangerous plants are unlikely to appear in a flower garden, there are some weeds that produce beautiful flowers and tempting berries that may look right at home next to your camellias, but are downright deadly.
Adjective
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Then, Metric’s peak came on 2009’s Fantasies, which paired needling electronics with thumping drum programming; both it and its follow-up, Synthetica, hit the top 10 on the Canadian albums chart and went platinum in Canada.
-
For power users, this sort of thing can’t help but read as needling, even petty platform quirks.
Verb
-
The pop singer has been teasing her return to music over the past few weeks with cryptic posts on social media featuring various images accompanied locations, dates and times.
-
Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, took over as chief executive of Relativity a little more than a year ago, teasing new areas of focus such as orbital data centers, philanthropic space science ventures, and national security missions.
Verb
-
Next, the instructor tries luring the child back into the pool with a sparkly pink rubber duck, which does the trick.
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Dill can also act as a trap crop, luring hornworms away from tomatoes.
Adjective
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There was also an August 2024 incident at Fenway when Duran hurled a homophobic slur at a heckling fan.
-
Charles Barkley was once spitting mad at a heckling fan, and his expectoration wound up splashing on an 8-year-old girl.
Verb
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The writer thinks that the person seducing the main character is just some flotsam, hardly worth a second look.
-
That means seducing Paris Carver, Elliot's wife and Bond's ex, portrayed by Teri Hatcher.
Cite this Entry
“Baiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baiting. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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