as in tempted
to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage
tacky souvenir shops to which first-time tourists had been decoyed into spending their hard-earned money
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Recent Examples of decoyed
Dowdle busted loose for a first down with 40 seconds to play after Young decoyed putting him in pass protection, and those 19 yards put the Panthers in position to kick a field goal after they’d won the coin flip and maneuvered to get the wind at the end.
—
Luke Decock, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2025
Luke Decock, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decoyed
Verb
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Greta is so flummoxed by this gorgeous creature standing before her that she's tempted to genuflect and kiss her hand instead of shaking it.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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You may be tempted to leap ahead — stay strong!—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And research shows young people are particularly at risk of sports gambling problems, lured in by splashy advertisements often featuring celebrities and promises of low risks and high rewards.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
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Prosecutors say Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane was lured to a Dallas studio, then allegedly kidnapped and robbed at gunpoint by a group that included Pooh Shiesty and Big30.—
Sergio Candido,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Tommy disburses stuffings and sauces to hungry locals as the GIs seduced their grandmothers with Camels and nylon stockings.—
Dominic Green,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
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The craft, once passed down through generations, is now facing the reality that fewer young people—seduced by high-flying, big-city office jobs—are interested in toiling in its timeworn factories.—
Jessica Binns,
Sourcing Journal,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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By late 2015, Musk was persuaded.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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But these lopsided outcomes have not persuaded the media to treat the war as an American strategic success.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The synopsis, just like the film's title, fails to prepare viewers for the level of chaos the film brings, which Matarazzo says enticed him.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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At the same time, though, the excitement around AI infrastructure spending has waned, and now the market seems as spooked by it than enticed.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decoyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decoyed. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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