Bearbait
noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An instance of bearbaiting. countable, uncountable
"Could any thing afford a stronger contrast to the grave and certainly severe study to which Elizabeth had habituated herself, than the vain and fantastic puerility of many of her recreations and habits, the unintellectual brutality of the bearbaits which she admired, or the gaudy and glittering pageants in which she delighted?"
- 2 Bait used to lure bears. countable, uncountable
"I went first this morning to the carcass of the bison we had killed for bearbait ; I found a bear had been there, and had already had his breakfast."
- 3 A person or animal that is not very useful or respected. countable, uncountable
"The worst ones for straying, curiously enough, were three broken-down old “bearbaits,” which went by themselves, as is generally the case with the cast-off horses of a herd."
- 1 To torment or provoke.
"Creditors, snarling, hound him on from without; mocked Hopes, lost Labours, bearbait him from within: to these torments his fixed-idea keeps him chained."
Example
More examples"Could any thing afford a stronger contrast to the grave and certainly severe study to which Elizabeth had habituated herself, than the vain and fantastic puerility of many of her recreations and habits, the unintellectual brutality of the bearbaits which she admired, or the gaudy and glittering pageants in which she delighted?"
Etymology
From bear + bait.
More for "bearbait"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.