How to Use bait in a Sentence

bait

1 of 2 verb
  • The interviewer kept baiting the politician by asking him whether he was lying.
  • The rage baiting won’t work anymore.
    — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 13 May 2026
  • The movie wrapped up filming earlier this year and has awards bait all over it.
    — Andy Meek, BGR, 19 Sep. 2022
  • Never feed owls dead mice or rabbits, and don't bait them for the sake of a photo.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2026
  • Never feed owls dead mice or rabbits, and don't bait them for the sake of a photo.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026
  • The heads are often painted to match the skirts, and the hooks vary from bait to bait in size and shape.
    — Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 12 Oct. 2023
  • Decades ago, my father taught me how to drive, bait a hook and to always open the car door for my date.
    — Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2026
  • As in most lakes of this type, both current and bait schools are likely to be key to success.
    — Frank Sargeant, al, 23 Dec. 2020
  • That includes fishing guides and bait shop owners.
    — John Lauritsen, CBS News, 8 May 2026
  • Once baited and ready to use, hang the trap outside near a fly source like garbage or compost pile.
    — Rachel Ahrnsen, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Oct. 2023
  • Trolling crank baits along points and flats 15 feet deep over deeper water should still work.
    — Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2025
  • But most bait users stick to tried-and-true oldies — minnows and worms, crawdads and crickets.
    — Byron W. Dalrymple, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2026
  • There’s also an 11-footer that can toss plugs and bait up to 5 ounces.
    — Alberto Knie, Field & Stream, 22 June 2023
  • Or is the mandate at Max to focus on broad appeal fare and not awards bait?
    — Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2024
  • The two lines were each baited, one further out into the gulf than the other.
    — Irene Wright The Charlotte Observer (tns), al, 3 July 2023
  • Don't take water from live wells and bait buckets to any other water body.
    — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 3 May 2026
  • Even Will clocks the fact that Rachel’s trying to bait Keanu a bit.
    — Nick Caruso, TVLine, 4 Sep. 2025
  • This is one of the main ways that scammers will bait you to landing on phishing websites.
    — Kurt Knutsson, Fox News, 6 Sep. 2023
  • How are those food and water sources much different than baiting?
    — Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 10 Aug. 2023
  • Many of the young anglers came into the session not knowing how to bait a hook or cast a line.
    — Emmett Hall, sun-sentinel.com, 1 Apr. 2021
  • Early in the fishing season, bait catches more fish than lures.
    — Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Feb. 2021
  • Their clothes are not just aspirational, but also bait — to catch the right fish.
    — Tilly Lawless, refinery29.com, 13 Dec. 2022
  • Many hunters downplay their willingness to bait, or their reliance on it.
    — Tony J. Peterson, Outdoor Life, 3 Nov. 2020
  • Most bait the crab traps with squid; some use salmon carcasses saved from the past summer’s fishing.
    — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, 11 Nov. 2020
  • Just baiting and jumping it and finishing the play.
    — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
  • If using traps, bait them (peanut butter will work well), but don’t set them for several days.
    — oregonlive, 10 Sep. 2022
  • The pressure to bait and pull pots or lines and handle nets can be unrelenting.
    — Anchorage Daily News, 19 July 2021
  • At this point, City are content to bait the opposition press up the pitch.
    — Jon MacKenzie, New York Times, 27 May 2026
  • Those that aren’t worthy of aquariums are sold instead as bait or feeder fish.
    — Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 24 Aug. 2022
  • Years later, Green said James baited him into the punch.
    — The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025

bait

2 of 2 noun
  • Wait until the fish takes the bait.
  • Nightcrawlers are a good live bait.
    — Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Keep baits out of reach of kids and pets.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Keep baits out of reach of kids and pets.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 20 Apr. 2026
  • In a way, the name’s a bait-and-switch.
    — Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 10 June 2026
  • In a way, the name’s a bait-and-switch.
    — Jen Rose Smith, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
  • Keep the baits out of reach of kids and pets.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 23 Sep. 2025
  • Keep the baits out of reach of kids and pets.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 24 May 2026
  • This helps keep the baits at the tops of the weeds.
    — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2026
  • And Cronin’s bait-and-switch bit?
    — Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Step two, if pests still show up, is traps and baits.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 3 June 2026
  • Rocha Moya claims his name was used as bait.
    — Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
  • Chances are he’s got some crazy bait on the end of his line.
    — Byron W. Dalrymple, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2026
  • None of the siblings took the bait.
    — Gabriel Sherman, Vanity Fair, 14 Jan. 2026
  • Any roaches that eat the bait will die.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Can we be blamed for taking the bait?
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The fun begins when a snook grabs the bait.
    — Steve Waters, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Each backpack was filled with bait and lures.
    — Amy Stark Shireman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Pause to let the bait glide, stop, and hover.
    — Cory Schmidt, Outdoor Life, 15 Apr. 2026
  • That kind of bait-and-switch isn’t legal.
    — Dave Lieber feb. 11, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
  • The new trash fee was just an old con-man, bait-and-switch scam.
    — U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Dec. 2025
  • There's like this bait-and-switch going on.
    — ABC News, 24 June 2026
  • Which bait works best depends on the wasp species in your yard.
    — Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 28 June 2026
  • That is why so many people see this as a bait-and-switch.
    — Rafael Perez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
  • The bait zebras — and the rest of the herd — were nowhere in sight.
    — Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2023
  • That’s like Charlie bait right here.
    — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Drift in a bait beneath a float or on a tight line, and stay alert.
    — Keith Sutton, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2026
  • But gathering your own bait is a lot of fun.
    — Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Not even Thomas, his former boss, took the bait.
    — Rachel Morris, New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2025
  • That was the logical time to cut bait.
    — Dan Duggan, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bait.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: