as in bait
something used to attract animals to a hook or into a trap
we set the decoy afloat in the marsh and from the blind waited for the ducks to arrive
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to lure
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decoy
Cody Godwin, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
Simpler, one-way attack, decoy, or stand-in jamming-type drones can be somewhat cheaper to produce and could still perform vital roles within a complex joint strike package.
—Justin Bronk, Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2025
Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 9 Oct. 2025
Osit looks for answers in multiple places, interviewing law enforcement officials and district attorneys, academics, and former Perverted Justice decoys from the show.
—Jason Newman, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decoy
Noun
Another option is to find novelty decoy boxes online.
—Verb
What these guys really care about is decoying ducks in and seeing the show.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for decoy
Noun
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The details of the Mag Bay 43 were noteworthy, including the flawless stainless steel, 75-gallon bait tank (which looked like an aquarium on the stern) and two tiers of three seats with mahogany frames near the helm.—
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However, at least one of her congressional peers isn't taking the bait.—
Verb
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Next June, electric bills across that region will absorb billions more dollars in higher wholesale electricity costs designed to lure new power plants to power data centers.—
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Her mechanism for luring victims involves a stick, someone’s hair, her blood, and another person stupid enough to let her through their front door.—
Verb
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Overbuy with the price still affordable At just under $80 an ounce currently, but with the potential for significant growth high right now, investors may be tempted to overbuy silver while the price is still affordable.—
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This is where brands can tempt consumers with limited runs.—
Verb
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Released in 1994, Sátántangó (based on László Krasznahorka’s novel) chronicled an impoverished Hungarian village that becomes seduced by a would-be prophet who has seemingly come back from the dead.—
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This year, we were seduced by silver trays and a new take on the TV-dinner table.—
Verb
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Similar to fellow Arsenal summer signing Eberechi Eze — another keen chess player — the assumption would be that the skills taken from the board game have helped Zubimendi be a step ahead in enticing and then bypassing opposition players.—
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The algorithm, the Reddit user claimed, would save the higher-paying orders for casual drivers to entice them to use the app.—
Verb
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For their part, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere each worked hard to persuade Irishmen, Hessians, Indigenous people, and former slaves to defect to the patriot side.—
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The Running Point actress was spotted shopping for holiday presents last December with a hands-free bag strapped across her body, and just one 12-second TikTok clip persuaded us to dole out some change on a purse that’s just like hers.—
Cite this Entry
“Decoy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decoy. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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