seduce

verb se·duce \ si-ˈdüs , -ˈdyüs \

|Updated on: 16 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: seduce in a Sentence

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

In the film, Hines stars as a street-smart homeless woman named Cece who teams up with her best friend Chrissie, played by the film’s screenwriter, Stacey Maltin, to seduce men into giving them food and shelter.

— mike miller, PEOPLE.com, "Morgan Freeman's Step-Granddaughter Talks About Her Final Role Before She Was Brutally Killed," 9 May 2018
Remember that, at least according to legend, after seducing Eve into eating the apple, the snake loses its legs and is forced to slither on his belly.

— david scharfenberg, BostonGlobe.com, "Why we’re told to ‘stand up straight!’," 5 May 2018
Dawson had another best friend, too: an underachieving jokester named Pacey (Joshua Jackson), who spent most of season one getting seduced by his English teacher in a deeply uncomfortable storyline.

— constance grady, Vox, "20 years ago, Dawson’s Creek introduced a love triangle that changed teen soaps forever," 28 Mar. 2018
Take the time to seduce yourself and touch all over your body.

— vanessa marin, Allure, "Ask a Sex Therapist: How Do I Ask My Partner for Oral Sex?," 28 June 2018
The works that seduce our ears most, or the ones that most effectively scare the dickens out of us with visions of fire and brimstone?

— james r. oestreich, New York Times, "What Does It Mean to Play the ‘Best’ of Bach?," 22 June 2018
Kim is a film enthusiast; Trump is used to making real-estate pitches that seduce viewers with images of gorgeous landscapes and shiny new construction.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump’s North Korean Propaganda Reveals His Contempt for Democracy," 13 June 2018
Meanwhile, vehicles that still offer stick shifts telegraph an image of high performance, toughness, nostalgia and fun—all factors that can seduce new customers.

— jonathan welsh, WSJ, "Yes, Cars Still Come With Stick—Here Are a Few New Favorites," 24 May 2018
Divine Providence hath not seen fit that my blood should be transmitted or my name perpetuated by the endearing, though sometimes seducing, channel of immediate offspring.

— gregory s. schneider, Washington Post, "How not being a father made George Washington the father of his country," 16 June 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.