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clickbait

American

[klik-bayt] / ˈklɪkˌbeɪt /

noun

clickbaits
plural

a sensationalized headline or piece of text on the internet designed to entice people to follow a link to an article on another web page.

adjective

noting or relating to such internet content.

Clickbait articles contribute to the online visibility of the news website.

Usage

What does clickbait mean? Clickbait describes misleading internet content or shocking headline titles that aim to drive traffic to a website.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

clickbaits

plural

Etymology

Origin of clickbait

First recorded in 1995–2000; click ¹ (in the computer sense) + bait

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

clickbait

Through a chance connection with Pommerville’s wife, Chris, Mr. Thompson became interested in the story behind the Sasquatch clickbait.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

His daughter Samantha Markle has also rejected the claims, saying the stories are "fake news" and "clickbait".

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

On its surface, the controversy appears like absurd clickbait — a grown man breathlessly informing audiences that activists sometimes engage in activism.

From Salon ● May 20, 2026

The template-driven format resembles the output of content mills that mass-produce made-up clickbait stories, said digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield.

From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026

“Spam, fluff, clickbait, churnalism, kitsch — slop: These are all ways to describe mass-produced, low-quality content.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023