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.
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Luke Decock, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decoyed
Verb
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As temperatures around the state continue to drop, you may be tempted to crank up your thermostat to battle the cold.—
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That way, you aren’t tempted to doze on the couch or adult bed with the baby in your arms.—
Verb
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Neuralink recently lured a top official away from the Food and Drug Administration office that regulates the company, a poaching that has surprised, impressed, and infuriated its competitors in a fledgling industry developing brain-computer interfaces.—
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Based on Diana Gabaldon’s book series, Outlander has lured audiences with its sweeping historical fantasy and once-in-a-lifetime(s) love story.—
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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But the demonstrations are diffuse and largely leaderless, and Pezeshkian’s efforts at mediation — and the killings and arrests by security forces — have not persuaded the protesters to stay off the streets.—
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The paintings worked because viewers did not need to be persuaded that these scenes mattered.—
Verb
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Many younger visitors have been enticed to visit the town thanks to its arts offerings, with rising numbers making the pilgrimage to the Frieder Burda Museum to take in its temporary exhibitions.—
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These everyday investors are likely also enticed by Karp, who Luria said is similar to Tesla CEO Elon Musk in his ability to sell a business vision.—
Cite this Entry
“Decoyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decoyed. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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