as in tempting
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decoying
Verb
-
The Casa Amor women are tasked with tempting the villa men to stray from their existing relationships while they are separated from the villa women for several days.
-
While many dangerous plants are unlikely to appear in a flower garden, there are some weeds that produce beautiful flowers and tempting berries that may look right at home next to your camellias, but are downright deadly.
Verb
-
Next, the instructor tries luring the child back into the pool with a sparkly pink rubber duck, which does the trick.
-
Dill can also act as a trap crop, luring hornworms away from tomatoes.
Verb
-
The writer thinks that the person seducing the main character is just some flotsam, hardly worth a second look.
-
That means seducing Paris Carver, Elliot's wife and Bond's ex, portrayed by Teri Hatcher.
Verb
-
The doe-eyed spa manager, Anupam Banerjee, has come up with a wide range of enticing holistic treatments, from scrubs, massages, and facials; to biohacking PEMF body mats and LED masks; to Ayurvedic therapies; to breath work and meditation.
-
The scrutiny belies the fact that the Reflecting Pool has always been enticing to visitors.
Verb
-
Since Mary Grace’s death, her parents have poured their energy into persuading lawmakers to make camps safer by banning cabins in active flood plains, mandating 24-7 weather monitoring and requiring rigorous annual evacuation training.
-
Vance is leading the negotiations with Iran, which include persuading the Islamic Republic to pull back its support for Hezbollah in return for financial relief.
Verb
-
Palestra is excellent at baiting defenders into committing to a tackle before racing past them.
-
The problem with Fishback’s ideas is that many spring from rage-baiting rhetoric that has little to do with Florida’s current reality— but could attract people who might not otherwise vote.
Cite this Entry
“Decoying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decoying. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
