as in baits
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 lures
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 decoys
New Atlas, 21 Dec. 2025
One pair locked up on the decoys.
—Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 18 Dec. 2025
Weapons that serve much the same purposes—smart stand-off attack, decoys, and stand-in jammers—have already existed for decades in the form of cruise missiles and decoys such as the ADM-160 MALD-X.
—Justin Bronk, Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2025
Lethal objects refer to missile warheads, while nonlethal objects—such as decoys—are countermeasures designed to help armed missile payloads penetrate missile defenses.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
One of its defining strengths is its ability to distinguish real warheads from decoys – a crucial function within the MDA’s wider network of interconnected sensors that collectively detect, track, and support the interception of incoming ballistic threats.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 29 Nov. 2025
Then when Armenian air defenses revealed themselves to take out the decoys, air combat drones (UCAVs) and artillery eliminated the Armenian anti-aircraft sites, eventually giving Baku control of the skies.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 27 Nov. 2025
That's not with decoys, that's not with other means that would try to misdirect our interceptors from knocking down incoming missiles with nuclear warheads on them.
—ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025
Jason Newman, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2025
Noun
What makes these decoys so striking isn’t just their size, but the accuracy behind the artistry.
—Verb
Osit looks for answers in multiple places, interviewing law enforcement officials and district attorneys, academics, and former Perverted Justice decoys from the show.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for decoys
Noun
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Gel baits have quicker results than bait stations, meanwhile bait stations are perfect for ongoing maintenance after the use of gel baits.—
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New for 2025 at Bass Pro Shops is BioBait—lures made from a revolutionary formula that breaks down faster than traditional plastic baits.—
Verb
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Jimenez’s movement lures Matthijs de Ligt up the pitch, stretching the right side of United’s defence, with Leny Yoro already in an advanced position to defend Iwobi.—
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The region’s invigorating multiculturalism also lures visitors with calypso music, island cuisine, and its history as a port of entry to the Caribbean.—
Verb
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Unwind Along the Coast Zanzibar, a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa, tempts with spice tours, rooftop cocktails, and sunset dhow sails.—
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The device contains, among other things, doorways to other dimensions, including one that tempts Peacemaker with a seemingly storybook version of his broken family.—
Verb
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Everything about the scene seduces the viewer into what dining while traveling in the most luxurious fashion could be, and once was.—
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In his youth, the blue-eyed Stamp was widely considered one of the most handsome men onscreen, and Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini used that to peculiar effect in Teorema (1968), casting the actor as a nameless and wordless visitor who seduces an entire household.—
Cite this Entry
“Decoys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decoys. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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