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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decoying
Verb
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Our moments of uncanny convergence—like bumping into an old flame at the exact right (or wrong) time—function like indulgences did in the days of Martin Luther, tempting us in the promise of paradise.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025 -
In a sponsor category long dominated by two giants, the athleisure maker joins a wave of challengers tempting star players with opportunities for creative input—and lucrative financial terms.—
Matt Craig,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Pratt’s operation involved luring women into pornography through deceit and coercion, with the content later shared online, according to prosecutors.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
15 Sep. 2025
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Nepal The climbing capital of the world, Nepal has been luring mountaineers for decades, including up the busy South Col route to the summit of Mount Everest.—
Katie Lockhart,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But after Davina publicly accuses Julia mid-labor of seducing Lord Lovat, the group of women suddenly turn on Julia, yelling at her to repent her sins and repeatedly questioning her about the paternity of her child.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
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The drama follows Veneno (played by non-pro Víctor Miguel), a headstrong young drifter who survives by seducing truck drivers at 24-hour roadside diners called cachimbas.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Because while the perks of his elevated status are enticing, maintaining his dominance is as difficult as establishing it.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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Nutrients from the Orinoco Delta make the waters particularly enticing to marine life and also help the island’s barrel sponges grow especially huge.—
Terry Ward,
AFAR Media,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For many owners, the nightly ritual of persuading a pet to leave the bed is an ongoing negotiation—one that frequently ends with the animal winning.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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The network seemed to have trouble persuading actual stars to perform.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Consequently, Villa are not reaping the same success in baiting opponents into pressing them, before playing around the pressure and attacking the vacated space.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
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What's remarkable is not just the specific policy suggestion itself—after all, federal force has been called in to assist state-level law enforcement plenty of times—but rather how Trump is once again baiting his political opponents into defending the indefensible.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Decoying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decoying. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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