Webster's English Dictionary

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bait

1. bait \'ba-t\ vt [ME baiten, fr. ON beita; akin to OE b-tan to 
   bai]t, bi-tan to bite 1a: to persecute or exasperate with wanton, 
   malicious, or persistent attac ks 1b: NAG, TEASE  2a: to harass with dogs 
   usu. for sport  2b: to attack by biting and tearing  3a: to furnish with 
   bait  3b: ENTICE, LURE  4: to give food and drink to (an animal) esp. on 
   the road  archaic  : to stop for food and rest when travelingMHOUND mean to 
   harass by efforts to break down. BAIT implies wanton cruelty or delight in 
   persecuting a helpless victim; BADGER implies pestering so as to drive a 
   person to confusion or frenzy; HECKLE implies persistent interruptive 
   questioning of a speaker in order to confuse or discomfit him; HECTOR 
   carries an implication of bullying and domineering that breaks the spirit; 
   CHIVY suggests persecution by teasing or nagging; HOUND implies unrelenting 
   pursuit and harassing - bait.er n SYN syn BAIT, BADGER, HECKLE, HECTOR, 
   CHIVY, ( 
2. bait n [ON beit pasturage & beita food; akin to OE bi-tan to bite] 1: 
   something used in luring esp. to a hook or trap; also : a poison ous 
   material distributed as food to kill pests 2: LURE, TEMPTATION