seduce

verb se·duce \ si-ˈdüs , -ˈdyüs \

Updated on: 10 May 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

—

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

Unfortunately for participants in Westworld’s Pariah orgy, seduced by a quasi-real escape offering membership in a consequence-free club, real consequences may be lying in wait.

— ashley hoffman, Time, "Westworld Finally Revealed the Real Value of the Park—and It's Eerily Timely," 30 Apr. 2018
Now, scientists are rushing in to Urabá and other areas were formerly controlled by the FARC, seduced by the prospect of prying scientific secrets from huge swaths of land that are no longer off-limits.

— katie langin, Science | AAAS, "Top stories: superhuman divers, #MeToo allegations at Salk, and post-war science in Colombia," 27 Apr. 2018
In contrast, male TA’s were advised that their female students might attempt to seduce them to procure a better grade.

— christina tkacik, baltimoresun.com, "After 'discriminatory' University of Maryland handbook goes viral, university removes text," 20 Apr. 2018
And despite his extramarital affairs, Rush said the actor never attempted to seduce her.

— stephanie nolasco, Fox News, "'Batman' actress Barbara Rush reflects on befriending Rock Hudson, Marilyn Monroe and more Hollywood icons," 14 Mar. 2018
Oh my God, now Betty's wearing her Dark Betty black wig and seducing Jughead in their bedroom.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "'Riverdale' Season 2 Episode 14 Recap: Cheryl Has a Huge Moment," 7 Mar. 2018
This is the first Olympics where singles and pairs figure skaters are allowed to perform to music with lyrics, a blatant move to seduce new fans to a sport that needed them.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "Patrick Chan's skate to 'Dust in the Wind' oddly prophetic | The Kansas City Star," 16 Feb. 2018
Yes, in the clip, the ultimate boy band are being seduced by five girls who take the group on different adventures while singing the song.

— suzette fernandez, Billboard, "Watch CNCO's Seductive New Video 'Mamita': Exclusive Premiere," 18 Jan. 2018
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

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.

- lured naive investors with get-rich-quick schemes

entice suggests drawing by artful or adroit means.

- advertising designed to entice new customers

inveigle implies enticing by cajoling or flattering.

- fund-raisers inveigling wealthy alumni

decoy implies a luring into entrapment by artifice.

- attempting to decoy the enemy into an ambush

tempt implies the presenting of an attraction so strong that it overcomes the restraints of conscience or better judgment.

- tempted by the offer of money

seduce implies a leading astray by persuasion or false promises.

- seduced by assurances of assistance

SEDUCE Defined for English Language Learners

seduce

verb

Definition of seduce for English Language Learners

: to persuade (someone) to have sex with you
: to persuade (someone) to do something

SEDUCE Defined for Kids

seduce

verb se·duce \ si-ˈdüs , -ˈdyüs \

Definition of seduce for Students

seduced; seducing

: to persuade (someone) to do something and especially to do something wrong

She was seduced into crime.

Learn More about seduce

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for seduce Spanish Central: Translation of seduce Nglish: Translation of seduce for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of seduce for Arabic speakers

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seduce

Definition of seduce

seducer

Examples of seduce in a Sentence

Recent Examples of seduce from the Web

Origin and Etymology of seduce

seduce Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of seduce

SEDUCE Defined for English Language Learners

seduce

Definition of seduce for English Language Learners

SEDUCE Defined for Kids

seduce

Definition of seduce for Students

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