baiting

3 8.4

Hurting or teasing an animal that is tied up for sport

noun
/ˈbeɪtɪŋ/

Offensive

: maltrato animal

Bear baiting was once a popular public spectacle in 18th-century England.
bull-baiting
bear-baiting
race-baiting

Examples

The cruelty of baiting animals for entertainment has led to its prohibition in many countries.
Perhaps there will be bear baiting?

Mystery Team (2009)
On these grounds, the blood sports of bear-baiting, cockfighting, and bare-knuckle prize-fighting stood condemned.

Academic text (1991)
Spectators watched as the dogs engaged in baiting in the makeshift arena.

Synonyms

bear-baiting

vsbaiting

Offensive

1 9.9

An old cruel show where a chained bear is attacked by dogs

is the broader act of tormenting any tethered animal for sport or entertainment

Antonyms

to release

∞ 1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

to liberate

202 4.3

Set someone free from prison or unfair control

Compounds

bear-baiting

Offensive

1 9.9

An old cruel show where a chained bear is attacked by dogs

red-baiting

Offensive

1 9.5

A claim that someone is a communist to make them look bad

red-baiting

Offensive

1 8.8

Saying things to make someone look bad by calling them a communist

to bear-baiting

NSFW

1 9.9

To set dogs on a bear for people to watch

How Cruel

torturing

Offensive

1 7.9

to torment

NSFW

83 7.2

baiting

Offensive

3 8.4

to harass

256 4.0

teasing

Offensive

22 2.3

to bother

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

baiting singular

baitings plural

Morphology

baiting = bait (transparent) = bait + ing

Standard nominalization from the verb 'bait' with '-ing' yields the action or process 'the act of baiting', so the meaning is directly derivable from the base verb.

Etymology

The word baiting comes from bait, which means a thing used to 'lure' animals like in fishing, and it originally had the sense of making an animal 'bite' or react. So baiting is the cruel act of provoking or harassing a tied animal for sport.