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
To say this feels like a bait and switch is an understatement, and such outcomes dramatically undermine any trust built earlier.
—
Kelly Hopping, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Someone is pulling a bait and switch here.
—Sonja Drimmer, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
And for an administration that has premised itself on efficiency, a never-ending loop of funding bait and switch does not exactly make for minimizing waste.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
The Monkey isn’t really a Stand by Me–esque coming-of-age story, though — that’s part of Perkins’s bait and switch.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bait and switch
Kelly Hopping, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Someone is pulling a bait and switch here.
—Sonja Drimmer, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
And for an administration that has premised itself on efficiency, a never-ending loop of funding bait and switch does not exactly make for minimizing waste.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
The Monkey isn’t really a Stand by Me–esque coming-of-age story, though — that’s part of Perkins’s bait and switch.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bait and switch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bait and switch
Noun
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This perspective switcheroo is lifted directly from the game, which is structured in two opposing halves.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
26 May 2025
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Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jon Voight, Simon Pegg and more have also been involved in shocking face switcheroos throughout the series.—
Jack Smart,
People.com,
7 May 2025
Noun
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Hunter’s arrival in 1999 with several other young core members marked the start of a turnaround after several years of struggle in the wake of Kirby Puckett’s early retirement.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
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Miguel Vargas took his turnaround to another level.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
1 June 2025
Noun
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Who in the administration knew about Trump’s latest tariff flip-flop ahead of time?—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
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To the generation that exclusively wore spongy thong sandals in dormitory showers, the concept of high-fashion flip-flops might sound like an oxymoron.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
29 May 2025
Noun
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This is a remarkable turnabout, but its roots lie in the vaunted deal that Ramaphosa helped make to end apartheid.—
Lydia Polgreen,
Mercury News,
27 May 2025
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This represents a turnabout from the pattern of the last 25 years, when there was little evident resistance from bond buyers as the U.S. government looked to borrow.—
Neil Irwin,
Axios,
19 May 2025
Noun
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The key to making neutrality work for Ukraine is shaping it in a way that ensures that renunciation of NATO membership does not come at the expense of the country’s self-defense or its prospects for an economic and political future in the West.—
A. Wess Mitchell,
Foreign Affairs,
17 Mar. 2022
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Saxon through acquisition; Piper through renunciation.—
January LaVoy Krish Seenivasan Ted Blaisdell,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
Noun
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Britain is not the only country pressed into making a volte-face.—
London Business School,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
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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
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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Despite the retraction by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Venable said, the report still has weight.—
Nicole Santa Cruz,
ProPublica,
23 May 2025
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Radke has since doubled down with a second video on Sunday, again attacking the councillors and showing no indication of retraction.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
24 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bait and switch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bait%20and%20switch. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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