as in to tempt
to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage
a con man whose dupes are usually led on by their own greed and eagerness to turn an easy buck
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lead on
Verb
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If you’re tempted to uproot your current life and spend your days at a higher elevation, the following mountain towns and cities—all recommended by real estate experts—are great choices.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Feb. 2026 -
This may tempt Democrats to double down on affordability as their primary message.—
Kenneth Zagacki,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Indiana lawmakers took another step Thursday toward potentially luring the Chicago Bears to the state, as a key committee approved a plan to create an agency that would build a new stadium for the team.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
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During this time Gertler discovered a talent for luring investors.—
Nicolas Niarchos,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Such reflection also shows us how easily scoring systems can seduce us.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Feb. 2026
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While the most obvious go-to target audience for Wuthering Heights is older females, the studio’s marketing team also worked hard to seduce Gen Zers and younger Millennials, as reflected by much of the ad campaign.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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By April, Kabila’s new government was persuaded by the IMF and the World Bank to withdraw from the contract with Gertler after only eight months.—
Nicolas Niarchos,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
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In the years following COVID, Picturehouse – like other movie theater chains – had to persuade people to come back into the movie theaters.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Indonesia plans to increase its domestic fuel production and others in the region, like the Philippines, are cutting red tape to entice fuel developers.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 2026
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Producers, agents and executives working in the genre say the recent boom of romance in TV and film is due in great part to studios’ seeing the power of the core audience whom authors help entice to screens.—
Rebecca Keegan,
NBC news,
16 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Lead on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lead%20on. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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