Clickbait
noun, verb
noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Website content that is aimed at generating advertising revenue, especially at the expense of quality or accuracy, relying on sensationalist headlines to attract click-throughs; such headlines. Internet, countable, derogatory, uncountable
"Fairfax's sites are renowned for what is sometimes called ‘clickbait’: headlines written to beguile passing eyeballs but which obscure nondescript or irrelevant stories."
Verb
- 1 To add clickbait to a web page; to direct clickbait at someone.
"Whether they're acts of clickbaiting or dumbness, internet headlines routinely mischaracterize quotes, inaccurately paraphrase statements, and misuse specific terms, all to make readers click."
Example
More examples"This website is full of shady advertisements and clickbait!"
Etymology
From click + -bait (manipulation to elicit a particular response).
Related phrases
More for "clickbait"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.