red-bait

verb

red-baited; red-baiting; red-baits
often capitalized R

transitive verb

: to subject (a person or group) to red-baiting

intransitive verb

: to engage in red-baiting
red-baiter noun often capitalized R

Examples of red-bait in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Steel’s campaign did not expand on the red-baiting accusations, but pointed to a previous letter to Tran that condemned his accusations that Steel wasn’t a refugee and didn’t flee communism. Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 27 Nov. 2024 Jurado won despite De León — a former political giant whose reputation went under like the Titanic after his role in the 2022 City Hall audio leak scandal — and his acolytes running a red-baiting campaign against his opponent straight outta 1934. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024 Still, the whitewashing of Reagan’s red-baiting remains the movie’s defining sin, and a testament to how any sense of portraiture is swamped by the petty desire to win a one-sided debate. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of red-bait was in 1938

Dictionary Entries Near red-bait

Cite this Entry

“Red-bait.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red-bait. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!