cut bait

verb

To give up on something in order to pursue something else.

“Jenny knew it was time to cut bait, since her relationship with Joe was never going to progress beyond the current level of commitment.”

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Meanings

verbcut bait (third-person singular simple present cuts bait, present participle cutting bait, simple past and past participle cut bait)

present singular third person cuts bait · participle present cutting bait

  1. idiomaticTo give up on something in order to pursue something else.

    Jenny knew it was time to cut bait, since her relationship with Joe was never going to progress beyond the current level of commitment.

  2. literallyTo chop up fish bait for use.
Cite this entry
APA

cut bait. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cut%20bait

MLA

“cut bait.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cut%20bait. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cut bait,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cut%20bait.

Source: cut bait on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.