verb
- past tense of redbait: to attack or denounce someone by falsely accusing them of being a communist or having communist sympathies
Usage: political; historical
Examples
- The senator was redbaited by his opponents during the campaign.
- Many Hollywood actors were redbaited during the McCarthy era.
- The union leader claimed he was being redbaited for supporting workers’ rights.
- She felt redbaited whenever she advocated for social programs.
- The journalist was redbaited after writing articles critical of big business.
- During the Cold War, many progressives were unfairly redbaited.