(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
1.
Bait is food which you put on a hook or in a trap in order to catch fish or animals.
N-VAR
2.
If you ~ a hook or trap, you put ~ on it or in it.
He ~ed his hook with pie...
The boys dug pits and ~ed them so that they could spear their prey.
VERB: V n with n, V n
3.
To use something as ~ means to use it to trick or persuade someone to do something.
Service stations use petrol as a ~ to lure motorists into the restaurants and other facilities...
Television programmes are essentially ~ to attract an audience for advertisements.
N-UNCOUNT: also a N
4.
If you ~ someone, you deliberately try to make them angry by teasing them.
He delighted in ~ing his mother.
= needle
VERB: V n
5.
If you take the ~, you react to something that someone has said or done exactly as they intended you to do. The expression rise to the ~ is also used, mainly in British English.
When she attempts to make you feel guilty, don’t take the ~...
PHRASE: V inflects