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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Some may be tempted to quote Warren Buffett as a counterpoint, who was famously skeptical on the utility of gold.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
8 Oct. 2025 -
Like some of the other band members, he was tempted to follow.—
Ivan Kashinsky,
NPR,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There are other projects in the works as well, but Academy is currently Paramount+’s best hope for the franchise’s future and for luring, well, the next generation.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Oct. 2025
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Decades before the internet, Gunness exploited men’s loneliness — luring them to her hog farm with the promise of romance and sending many to a shallow grave beneath the Indiana soil.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The novel opens as the teenage Karl Rossmann, whose parents shipped him off to America for fathering a child when he was seduced by the family’s thirty-five-year-old cook, arrives on a steamer in New York harbor and sees the Statue of Liberty holding not the emblematic torch but rather a sword.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Oct. 2025
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Her distinctive style stance has seduced the likes of Addison Rae, Ice Spice, Kylie Jenner, Hari Nef, Selena Gomez, Hailey Bieber, Chloë Sevigny and Sarah Jessica Parker.—
Alex Wynne,
Footwear News,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Vulnerable, the hefty game bonus would persuade me to issue an invitation.—
Deb Harvell,
Arkansas Online,
12 Oct. 2025
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Witkoff, who has labored on Middle East diplomacy since January alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, persuaded Kushner to lend a hand.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In early September, Jakarta police alleged that some TikTok users purposefully broadcast live during the violence to entice viewers into giving them gifts or virtual prizes that can be exchanged for cash.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
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There's something wicked about building horror movies around toys, dolls, and other kid-friendly touchstones; they're bound to entice (and potentially scar) curious young audiences more than usual.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Lead on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lead%20on. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
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