scambait en · VERB
Etymology
Etymology tree English scam Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- Proto-Indo-European *-t Proto-Indo-European *bʰéydt Proto-Germanic *bītaną Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Germanic *-janą Proto-Germanic *baitijaną Old Norse beitabor. Middle English bayte English bait English -bait English scambait From scam + -bait.
Meanings
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(Internet) To pose as a potential victim of a scam, in order to waste the scammer's time and resources.
I've long maintained that scambaiting is one of the few sources of ethical "content" out there.
2026 July 23, Grant St. Clair, “Trapping a scammer in an endless maze of torment”, in BoingBoing, archived from the original on 23 Jul 2026, retrieved 23 Jul 2026:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| scambaited | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| scambaited | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| scambaiting | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| scambaits | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |