Bait is something used to attract or lure an animal or person. When you go fishing, you put a worm or artificial lure on your hook as bait to attract fish. Mousetraps use cheese or peanut butter as bait to catch mice. Hunters might leave food as bait to draw deer to a certain spot.

The word also describes deliberately provoking someone to react. If your sibling teases you, hoping you'll get angry and get in trouble, they're baiting you. They want you to take the bait and lose your temper.

You might hear someone say “that's clickbait” about a sensational headline designed to make you click on an article, even though the actual story is boring or misleading. The headline is the bait, and your curiosity is what they're trying to catch.

Notice how bait always involves using something tempting to get what you really want: the fish wants the worm, but the fisherman wants the fish. Your sibling wants you to react, using annoyance as their bait. Understanding when you're being baited helps you make smarter choices about how to respond.