1
as in seduces
to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage
that chocolate dessert sure tempts me, but I should stick with my diet
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in risks
to take a chance on
refusing to lay in enough food for the long winter tempts the dangers of starvation
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tempts
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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Karin Jones, Travel + Leisure, 4 Sep. 2025
The device contains, among other things, doorways to other dimensions, including one that tempts Peacemaker with a seemingly storybook version of his broken family.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 22 Aug. 2025
Perhaps the thought of no more disappointment tempts you.
—Shai Tubali, Big Think, 5 Aug. 2025
There are days when the weight of it all tempts me to hole up in my hotel room, to let the grief swallow the day.
—Christine Chitnis, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tempts
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.—
Verb
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This move risks dangerous results from the military and security establishment in the country, as well as the substantial Cuban contingent working in the security sphere.—
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Both Tong and his counterpart in Rhode Island, Attorney General Peter Neronha, followed up with their own request on Monday which reiterated the developers’ claim that federal intervention risks raising costs for electric customers while upending thousands of local jobs.—
Verb
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For example, a suet cake with mealworms attracts bluebirds, and adding fruit entices mockingbirds, says Stewart.—
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While Summer most likely has tonnes of toys and a dog bed, there’s something about cardboard boxes that entices pets.—
Verb
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Freedom of assembly and association has deteriorated, while independent civil society confronts shrinking space to operate.—
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On a remote island in the Chesapeake Bay, a deeply rooted Christian fishing community confronts the erosion of land and tradition, as their centuries-old way of life, anchored in faith, approaches a turning point.—
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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Nuremberg explores how authoritarian regimes take over democracies — not by making a detailed intellectual case that persuades on its merits but by validating the power fantasies of those who feel shut out.—
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In the final confrontation, Tea persuades Miran to surrender, arguing that doing so will protect his family.—
Verb
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The film may initially present Man-su as a sympathetic family man trying to make ends meet, but Lee quickly subverts those sentiments once Man-su’s methodical process betrays no sense of remorse.—
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In some instances, the show betrays a familiar upper-middle-class, blue-state gaze, depicting certain Americans as strangers to be managed, not people to be known.—
Cite this Entry
“Tempts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempts. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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