at·trac·tant | \ ə-ˈtrak-tənt 
\
\Definition of attractant
: a substance (such as a pheromone) that attracts specific animals (such as insects or individuals of the opposite sex)
Examples of attractant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web This fragrant mint cousin contains a natural chemical called nepetalactone, which is both a feline attractant and a useful insect repellent.
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Christopher Michel, Good Housekeeping, "8 Mosquito Repellent Plants to Keep Pests Away From Your Garden," 1 July 2020 He and his colleagues hiked up and down mountains, sometimes in pouring rain, to check traps baited with a chemical attractant called Swormlure.
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Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, "The U.S. Is Spending Millions of Dollars Rearing Flesh-Eating Worms," 26 May 2020 Blade color: The blade of a spinner is the key attractant of the entire lure, in its color, flash and vibration.
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Josh Dahlke, Outdoor Life, "Fishing the Driftless Area: The Best Kept Secret in the Trout World," 1 Oct. 2018 Still, some states have banned using deer urine as an attractant.
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Joe Genzel, Outdoor Life, "Cutting-Edge Test is Able to Detect Chronic Wasting Disease in Live Deer," 21 Feb. 2020 In recent years, these manufacturers have battled claims that their products could spread CWD, though there is no hard evidence that deer attractants spread the disease.
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Joe Genzel, Outdoor Life, "Cutting-Edge Test is Able to Detect Chronic Wasting Disease in Live Deer," 21 Feb. 2020 Look for pads that have a pheromone attractant built in or buy a pheromone spray so that your pup is attracted to the pad.
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The Editors, Field & Stream, "Three Things to Consider Before Buying Puppy Training Pads," 11 Mar. 2020 Sprinkle a litter box attractant to help lure the cat to the box.
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Cathy M. Rosenthal, ExpressNews.com, "Territorial cats can sometimes block new cats from using the litter box," 6 Dec. 2019 Live worms or Berkley GULP trout bait, a doughy, brightly colored attractant, catch most of the fish for those less than expert in harvesting trout.
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Frank Sargeant, al, "What anglers need to know about Alabama trout fishing," 4 Dec. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'attractant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for attractant
The first known use of attractant was in 1889
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