Meaning & use
bear baiting
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Meanings
noununcountable
A cruel spectacle, once popular in Europe, in which dogs were set to attack a chained bear for the crowd's amusement.
Grammar: Used without an article for the practice: bear baiting was banned.
Patterns
- ban bear baiting
Bear baiting was a popular spectacle in Elizabethan England.
The law banned bear baiting in the nineteenth century.
Historians describe bear baiting as a brutal form of public entertainment.
noununcountableAmericanregional
In the Americas, hunting bears using bait to attract them to a chosen spot.
Grammar: Used for the hunting method; regulations vary by region.
Patterns
- bear baiting season
Some states allow bear baiting during hunting season.
Bear baiting is controversial among wildlife groups.
The regulations on bear baiting differ from state to state.
Common combinations
- ban bear baiting
- Parliament moved to ban bear baiting.
- bear baiting arena
- The bear baiting arena stood beside the theater.
- history of bear baiting
- The history of bear baiting is a grim one.
- outlaw bear baiting
- Many countries outlawed bear baiting long ago.
- bear baiting and bull baiting
- Bear baiting and bull baiting were both common.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bull baiting
- Bull baiting was a similar cruel sport with a bull instead of a bear, so it is a parallel practice rather than the same one.
- blood sport
- Blood sport is a broad term covering hunting and animal fights, while bear baiting names one specific spectacle.
- animal baiting
- Animal baiting is the general term for provoking animals for entertainment, with bear baiting as one example.
Word family
Commonly confused: bear baiting or bear baying?
bear baiting vs bear baying
Baying is the deep barking of hounds, not the same as baiting, which means tormenting.
Practice
Historians say that ____ was banned in Britain in the nineteenth century.
Choose one answer.
Bear baiting is the specific cruel spectacle that was outlawed. Hunting, hugging and feeding are different activities.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bear baiting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.