- (v.t.) To furnish or cover with bait, as a trap or hook.
- (v.i.) Any substance, especially food, used in catching fish or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, inclosure or net.
- (v.i.) Anything which allures; a lure; enticement; temptation.
- (v.t.) To provoke and harass; especially, to harass or torment for sport; as, to bait a bear with dogs; to bait a bull.
- (v.i.) A portion of food or drink, as a refreshment taken on a journey; also, a stop for rest and refreshment.
- (v.i.) To stop to take a portion of food and drink for refreshment of one's self or one's beasts, on a journey.
- (v.t.) To give a portion of food and drink to, upon the road; as, to bait horses.
- (v.i.) A light or hasty luncheon.
- (v.i.) To flap the wings; to flutter as if to fly; or to hover, as a hawk when she stoops to her prey.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). bait. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/bait/definitions/1977963 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "bait" http://smartdefine.org/bait/definitions/1977963 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, bait, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/bait/definitions/1977963>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "bait" 27 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/bait/definitions/1977963> |