How to Use temptation in a Sentence

temptation

noun
  • The dessert menu has a lot of delicious temptations.
  • Money is always a temptation.
  • The temptation had to be there for Kool & the Gang to blow this thing out.
    — Troy L. Smith, cleveland, 13 May 2021
  • The temptation is to look away, to move on, to cringe and avert your gaze.
    — Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 3 Dec. 2020
  • Avoid the temptation to regress to the old way of doing things.
    — Jeanne Hardy, Forbes, 8 June 2021
  • For the White House press corps, there’s also a temptation to play to the crowd.
    — Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2021
  • The cash that the robbers have stashed in the Pinto proves to be a mighty temptation.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 May 2024
  • Sometimes the temptation of the snack aisle is just too much.
    — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 4 Sep. 2023
  • This year, the temptation to chase the next shiny object will be strong.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
  • No temptation to get back out on the road at all, if that’s where the money is?
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 22 June 2025
  • Avoid the temptation to roll out of bed and start working right away.
    — Alex Janin, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2020
  • There will be a temptation for Kershaw to sign with the Rangers.
    — Dylan Hernández Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2021
  • There’s a temptation to think about life only through the lens of the present and future.
    — Faith Bottum, WSJ, 27 Oct. 2022
  • Would the temptation to come back to the center ring of the circus be too much for the showman to turn down?
    — Brian Bennett, Time, 14 Oct. 2022
  • And the temptation might be to pitch it, which would be exactly the wrong thing to do.
    — Susan Tompor, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
  • Keep tabs on what things cost, and don’t let temptation lead to debt.
    — Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
  • But then the movie throws a wrench into the affair by way of temptation.
    — K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2023
  • The temptation to loll like a lotus-eater on the sands is profound.
    — Tony Perrottet, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Mar. 2024
  • The temptation is too great—for kids and many adults—to look at phones when waking up in the middle of the night.
    — Julie Jargon, WSJ, 20 Oct. 2020
  • As the moon clashes with Jupiter, beware of the temptation to follow the herd.
    — USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
  • The temptation to revenge-date can be strong, but don’t do it.
    — Joel Stein, Town & Country, 30 Sep. 2022
  • At the same time, Venus makes an opposition to Jupiter and the temptation to overindulge is in the cards.
    — refinery29.com, 28 July 2021
  • The Lord’s Prayer asks God not to lead us into temptation.
    — Time, 29 Dec. 2022
  • Then, resist the temptation to reach for the first drink that someone gives you.
    — Jason Thomas Gordon, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2023
  • Don't give in to temptation and cross over with your mower—not even a tiny bit.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 8 June 2025
  • Resist the temptation to go back to touch up bare spots; leave those for the second coat.
    — Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2022
  • There’s a temptation again to use the strongest one, but that might not be suited to your skin.
    — Tish Weinstock, Vogue, 6 Feb. 2023
  • Even at the Olympics the temptation of long-distance runners to catch a lift once proved too much.
    — Victor Mather, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023
  • The temptation to tune into everything at once was too strong.
    — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 16 July 2025
  • There is a temptation, less today than in the past, to glorify war while glossing over or ignoring the inherent brutality of the practice of organized killing of opposing armed forces, plus civilians.
    — Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 2 July 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'temptation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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