allure

verb al·lure \ ə-ˈlu̇r \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of allure

allured; alluring

transitive verb

:to entice by charm or attraction

" … I had been fool enough to allow myself to be so quickly allured by her charms …
—Anthony Trollope

—

allurement

play \-ˈlu̇r-mənt\ noun

See allure defined for kids

Examples of allure in a Sentence

was so allured by his sister's college roommate that before long he was asking her for a date
allured by the promise of big bucks, he decided to have a go at a job on the trading floor of the stock market

Recent Examples of allure from the Web

Wearing a skintight, age-defying jumpsuit and a black, shaggy hairdo not much different than her alluring MTV-era look, Jett, 58, proved dependably fierce as a guitarist and singer.

— atlanta life, ajc, "Concert review and photos: Joan Jett and Boston unleash timeless hits in Alpharetta," 20 July 2017
Joy Luck East End, 9850 Von Allmen Court, suite 10, 7 p.m. Monday, July 24 (Alluring Blossoms).

— The Courier-Journal, "45+ fun things to do in Louisville July 20-26," 19 July 2017
That’s not to say that the latest cohort isn’t eye-catching or alluring, but to suggest that the risks taken by the creator of the earlier, smaller mural are astounding.

— roxana popescu, sandiegouniontribune.com, "1930s muralist Belle Baranceanu subject of new La Jolla Historical Society exhibit," 21 June 2017
Barring Americans from stepping foot in North Korea would mark the latest U.S. step to isolate the furtive, nuclear-armed nation, and protect U.S. citizens who may be allured by the prospect of traveling there.

— josh lederman, The Seattle Times, "After Warmbier’s death, US weighs travel ban on North Korea," 20 June 2017
In that book, one alluring new character takes center stage: Agent Tamara Preston, who appears on almost every page.

— joanna robinson, VanityFair.com, "Twin Peaks Star Chrysta Bell on Being David Lynch’s Muse," 7 June 2017
Allure first spotted the hair color, thought up by Bleach London hair stylist Sapphire Driver.

— rachel nussbaum, Glamour, "Pink Champagne Hair Dye Is Exactly As Pretty As It Sounds," 31 May 2017
But near Pézenas, the hometown of Molière, and with the name garrigue nodding the surrounding bushlands, St. Martin de La Garrigue is alluring even without the promise of wine.

— vanita salisbury, Town & Country, "The Languedoc-Roussillon Might Be the Best-Kept Wine Secret in France," 30 May 2017
Yet the same reasons why the program is alluring to players on the move would hamper other programs’ efforts to attract them.

— chris johnson, SI.com, "Transfer inflow attests to Bill Self's team-building prowess," 22 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'allure.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of allure

Middle English aluren, from Middle French alurer, from Old French, from a- (from Latin ad-) + lure, leure lure — more at lure

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

allure Synonyms

Synonyms

charm, beguile, bewitch, captivate, enchant, fascinate, kill, magnetize, wile, witch [archaic]

Related Words

disarm, draw, entice, lure, pull, seduce, tempt; delight, gratify, please; arrest, enrapture, enthrall (or enthral), entrance; appeal (to), interest, intrigue; beckon, court, invite, solicit, woo

Near Antonyms

disgust, offend, repel, revolt; annoy, displease, irk; bore, tire, weary

Synonym Discussion of allure

attract, allure, charm, captivate, fascinate, enchant mean to draw another by exerting a powerful influence. attract applies to any degree or kind of ability to exert influence over another.

- students attracted by the school's locale

allure implies an enticing by what is fair, pleasing, or seductive.

- an alluring smile

charm implies the power of casting a spell over the person or thing affected and so compelling a response

- charmed by their hospitality

, but it may, like captivate, suggest no more than evoking delight or admiration.

- her performances captivated audiences

fascinate suggests a magical influence and tends to stress the ineffectiveness of attempts to resist.

- a story that continues to fascinate children

enchant is perhaps the strongest of these terms in stressing the appeal of the agent and the degree of delight evoked in the subject.

- hopelessly enchanted by her beauty

allure

noun

Definition of allure

:power of attraction or fascination :charm

the allure of fame

rare books that hold a special allure for collectors

See allure defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of allure from the Web

Rona Wang hilariously and poetically captures the allure and danger of trying to hang with the rich girls.

— Teen Vogue, "Lit Club Winners: First Day of School," 29 Aug. 2017
Airbnb’s allure Sheldon Klein’s spiritual Zenmotel brand is only two years old and growing, so getting the word out about the property is crucial.

— chabeli herrera, miamiherald, "Miami hotels are making money on Airbnb. But for one, it’s parties and prostitutes," 23 Aug. 2017
The U.K. vote to leave the EU and the presence of Amsterdam’s three major algorithmic traders -- Optiver BV, IMC BV and Flow Traders NV -- have added to the city’s allure as a financial center.

— will hadfield, Bloomberg.com, "Trading Firms Pick Amsterdam Over London as Brexit Bites," 3 Aug. 2017
After that: a Vogue shoot, an Allure cover, and an American Eagle campaign.

— as told to simone kitchens, Glamour, "Halima Aden Is Taking Over the Beauty Universe Just by Being Herself," 3 Aug. 2017
The source of its allure is its stake in Oncor, the biggest electricity distributor in Texas, which is independently managed.

— The Economist, "Business this week," 13 July 2017
There’s something about the allure of the highway and the stage that has kept the singer going from one stage to the other – for years and years. 5.

— chuck dauphin, Billboard, "Willie Nelson's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks," 8 July 2017
Looking sporty, rather than baring it all, was and is the ultimate in all-American allure.

— carrie goldberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Simple Swim is In Again," 6 July 2017
What's American about it: Product placement; voting; the allure of a rags-to-riches narrative.

— meredith blake, latimes.com, "Putting the 'American' in American TV," 4 July 2017