seduce

verb se·duce \ si-ˈdüs , -ˈdyüs \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of seduce

seduced; seducing

transitive verb

1 : to persuade to disobedience or disloyalty

2 : to lead astray usually by persuasion or false promises

3 : to carry out the physical seduction of : entice to sexual intercourse

4 : attract

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seducer

noun

See seduce defined for English-language learners

See seduce defined for kids

Examples of seduce in a Sentence

He tried to seduce her.
She was seduced by an older man.
The other team seduced him with a better offer.

Recent Examples of seduce from the Web

Helou’s chapter on bread alone is a travelogue, seducing with recipes for flat and filled breads from Yemen, Somalia, India, Morroco, Iran, Turkey, and more.

— christine muhlke, Bon Appetit, "17 New Spring Cookbooks We Can’t Wait to Stain," 2 Apr. 2018
Young people in this country have experienced gun violence for their entire lives, only to be faced with a number of representatives and officials who have been seduced by the gun lobby or have generally failed to make effective change.

— rubi jones, Teen Vogue, "Emma González on Why This Generation Needs Gun Control," 23 Mar. 2018
Young, cis women seem to have been seduced by it the most.

— lexi pandell, WIRED, "How RuPaul's Drag Race Fueled Pop Culture’s Dominant Slang Engine," 22 Mar. 2018
At a time when most of the artists on the island have been seduced by the market and many writers maintain a complicit silence, independent movies are not mincing words.

— sarah moreno, miamiherald, "In film ‘Nadie,’ poet criticizes Fidel Castro but says he remains a socialist | Miami Herald," 20 Mar. 2018
Advertisement Hussey has been in the business of grooming women to become man-seducing sirens since 2008.

— refinery29.com, "Everything You Need To Know About Matthew Hussey, Millennial Dating Expert & Camila Cabello's Rumored Boyfriend," 21 Mar. 2018
Lawrence's plays Dominika Egorova, a Russian ballerina forced to become a student at the Sparrow School, which trains young people to seduce and betray enemy operatives.

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "'Red Sparrow' is absolutely not for Jennifer Lawrence's young fans and here's why," 14 Feb. 2018
Defense attorneys pointed to other suspects, such as angry husbands and boyfriends of women seduced by Crane.

— leba hertz, San Francisco Chronicle, "Natalie Wood investigation sparks interest in unsolved Hollywood crimes," 7 Feb. 2018
Dornan, not seduced by the idea, asks Corden what's in the playroom.

— katie kilkenny, Billboard, "Watch James Corden Show 'Fifty Shades' Star Jamie Dornan His 'Playroom'," 7 Feb. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of seduce

Late Latin seducere, from Latin, to lead away, from se- apart + ducere to lead — more at ¹tow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

seduce Synonyms

Synonyms

allure, bait, beguile, betray, decoy, entice, lead on, lure, solicit, tempt;

Near Antonyms

alert, caution, forewarn, ward (off), warn;

drive (away or off), repulse, turn away;

catch, enmesh (also immesh), ensnare, entrap, mesh, snare, tangle, trap;

bewitch, captivate, charm, enchant, fascinate, magnetize, wile;

Synonym Discussion of seduce

lure, entice, inveigle, decoy, tempt, seduce mean to lead astray from one's true course. lure implies a drawing into danger, evil, or difficulty through attracting and deceiving.