baits
baits — noun
- baitssingular
- baitsesplural
1. Food or an object put onto a fishing hook or inside a trap in order to catch fis
Food or an object put onto a fishing hook or inside a trap in order to catch fish, birds, or other animals.
Zola pushed a worm onto the hook and cast her line into the lake.
collocation: bait a hook with [food item]
Mathieu bought live crickets for bait before the weekend fishing trip.
The trap was filled with cheese as bait, but the mouse stayed away.
Arjun checked his hook and found the bait nibbled away by small fish.
Megan cut the sardine into pieces and pressed each one firmly onto a hook.
2. Something a person says or offers that is meant to get a strong reaction from ot
Something a person says or offers that is meant to get a strong reaction from others — for example, a provocative remark designed to start a fight, or a deal that seems too good to be true and is really a trick.
The email promised a free trip, but Tuan knew it was bait for a scam.
collocation: bait for a [trick/scam/trap]
Asher ignored the cruel comment, refusing to rise to the bait his classmate had set.
idiomatic phrase: rise to the bait
The shop used a low price as bait to pull customers through the door.
Ezra recognised the interviewer's friendly tone as bait to make him say too much.
The politician's remark was obvious bait, and Sumin refused to react to it.
- lure
emphasises the pull of attraction rather than the intention to provoke
- temptation
focuses on appealing to someone's desires rather than tricking them
- provocation
specifically emphasises making someone angry, not just attracting them
常見錯誤
baits — verb
- baitspresent simple I / you / we / they
- baitses3rd person singular
- baitsing-ing form
- baitsedpast simple
1. To repeatedly say or do annoying things to someone, trying over time to upset or
To repeatedly say or do annoying things to someone, trying over time to upset or provoke them.
Selim's older brother baited him all morning about losing the football match.
pattern: bait + someone + about + [topic]
Ignacio baited the new teacher by asking questions he knew she could not answer.
pattern: bait + [person] + by + [verb-ing]
The children baited the dog through the fence until it started barking loudly.
Sophia stopped talking when she realised her colleagues were baiting her into an argument.
Hyun's classmates baited him by hiding his bag before every lesson.
- compliment
to say something nice rather than annoying
文法句型
bait + someone + about + topic
bait + someone + by + verb-ing
bait + someone + into + noun
用法筆記
Object is always the person or animal being provoked. Often implies repeated actions over time rather than a single comment — for a one-time light-hearted joke, 'tease' is a better choice.
常見錯誤
2. To set dogs on a captured or tied-up animal so they attack it, historically done
To set dogs on a captured or tied-up animal so they attack it, historically done as a form of cruel public entertainment.
In the old sport, men would bait a chained bear with trained fighting dogs.
pattern: bait a [chained animal] with dogs
The cruel landlord baited a badger with his hunting dogs for the guests' amusement.
Zola read about how crowds once gathered to watch bulls being baited by dogs.
Hyun's grandfather once baited a badger with two dogs while the whole village gathered to watch.
Selim baited a tethered bear with three hunting dogs while the crowd roared.
文法句型
bait + [animal] + with + dogs
用法筆記
Now mainly used when talking about historical practices. The subject is the person who sets the dogs; the object is the animal being attacked. Do not use this sense with the dogs as subject.
常見錯誤
3. To attach food to a fishing hook or place it inside a trap so that fish or anima
To attach food to a fishing hook or place it inside a trap so that fish or animals are drawn to it and caught.
Arjun baited his hook with a strip of squid and cast the line out.
pattern: bait + [hook/trap] + with + [food]
Megan showed her daughter how to bait a hook without pricking her fingers.
transitive: bait a hook
The ranger baited the traps with fresh meat to catch the stray dogs safely.
Ezra baited three lines and left them in the water overnight to catch eels.
Sophia had baited every pot with chopped mackerel before the first light touched the water.
文法句型
bait + [hook/trap] + with + [food]
用法筆記
Object is the hook, trap, or device — not the food. The food is introduced with 'with': bait a hook with a worm, NOT bait a worm onto a hook.