“Bait” or “Bate”—Which to use?

Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

nounanything that serves as an enticement.
nounsomething used to lure fish or other animals into danger so they can be trapped or killed.
verblure, entice, or entrap with bait.
verbattack with dogs or set dogs upon.

verbmoderate or restrain; lessen the force of.
verbflap the wings wildly or frantically; used of falcons.
verbsoak in a special solution to soften and remove chemicals used in previous treatments.

Usage

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

…white croakers a tough, difficult-to-steal bait, such as squid, is recommended.
…near the ships, loitering without bait or buckets, by waters that…
…to use them as their bait for Stanley.
…an Indian by John PaskievichLive Bait by Bruce SweeneyMargaret's Museum by…
Better Bait Than Never featuring Buzzy (Feat.
…it is sometimes used as bait.
…almost any kind of animal bait that is fished from piers…
…flying or swimming), others a bait fish or crustacean, others attractors…
…Eriedrone to be used as bait to attract the Kyurangers, but…
…gar, and various species of bait fish.

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions are drawn from WordNet.

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