as in switcheroo
US
a selling method in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced product but then is encouraged to buy a more expensive one
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bait and switch
Classical After a buzzing opening night complete with an indiscreet bait and switch—Josh Groban headlined after an ever-busy Cynthia Erivo had to withdraw—next up for the New York Philharmonic is a celebration of Afromodernism.
—
The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
To be fair, the bait and switch is obvious from the jump.
—Ben Croll, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2024
The fake movie would be promoted and then audiences would get the bait and switch of a lifetime in the theater.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 25 July 2024
This one’s cheerfully grandiose title is, unsurprisingly, a bait and switch: These are sad songs, small in scope and size (none run past four minutes).
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 4 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for bait and switch
The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
To be fair, the bait and switch is obvious from the jump.
—Ben Croll, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2024
The fake movie would be promoted and then audiences would get the bait and switch of a lifetime in the theater.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 25 July 2024
This one’s cheerfully grandiose title is, unsurprisingly, a bait and switch: These are sad songs, small in scope and size (none run past four minutes).
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 4 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for bait and switch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bait and switch
Noun
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Guy Fieri and Gordon Ramsay had a switcheroo Super Bowl Sunday.—
Sabrina Weiss,
People.com,
10 Feb. 2025
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The gist is that the Chinese language is not the sole purveyor of the grand switcheroo.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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And having put out five albums (plus a few EPs, covers and other tunes) in less than six years, the quick turnaround is effectively par for the course for the trio.—
Josh Chesler,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2025
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City officials clarified Tuesday that the swift turnaround is because of the city’s 90-day deadline to finish accounting for the 2024 fiscal year that ended Dec. 31.—
Nell Salzman,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Musk has also flip-flopped about whether DOGE’s staff members are paid.—
Avi Asher-Schapiro,
ProPublica,
20 Feb. 2025
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The Missouri Highway Patrol said in certain cases, driving barefoot is safer as opposed to with heeled shoes or thin flip-flops.—
Krystal Nurse,
USA TODAY,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The move by the Trump administration is a turnabout of a long-standing U.S. policy that has extended TPS to more than a half million Venezuelans.—
Greg Allen,
NPR,
4 Feb. 2025
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But the turnabout didn't entirely make clear what happens next.—
Maya Goldman,
Axios,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Enacted after the Civil War as a renunciation of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford, which held that Black people are not citizens of the U.S., the birthright citizenship clause has been relatively uncontested since 1868.—
Henry Gass,
The Christian Science Monitor,
30 Jan. 2025
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So the practice of love turns on a renunciation of control.—
Sean Illing,
Vox,
9 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The realities of Putin’s momentum, coupled with Washington’s volte-face, have led to a clear mood shift in Kyiv.—
Daryna Mayer,
NBC News,
13 Feb. 2025
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Read More: How Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Pushed Through Asia’s First Cannabis Legalization Cannabis advocacy groups and businesses have voiced their opposition to the policy volte-face, staging rallies and threatening a legal challenge against the premier.—
Pathom Sangwongwanich / Bloomberg,
TIME,
27 June 2024
Noun
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Subscriptions like Billie cover this for you without a second thought.—
Sabina Wizemann,
Good Housekeeping,
30 Nov. 2022
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In America, the allure of material comfort is accepted without a second thought.—
Sarah Zhang,
The Atlantic,
20 Nov. 2022
Noun
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Notably, the only research paper claiming to prove such an impact was later shown to have incorrectly analyzed its data, leading to a rare retraction of publication.—
Michael Abrams,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Feb. 2025
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One leading member of the journal’s editorial board, a stubborn advocate for using hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin to treat COVID-19, has lost five papers to retraction.—
Adam Marcus,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to bait and switch
Cite this Entry
“Bait and switch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bait%20and%20switch. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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