as in tempted
to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage
tacky souvenir shops to which first-time tourists had been decoyed into spending their hard-earned money
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Recent Examples of decoyed
Dowdle busted loose for a first down with 40 seconds to play after Young decoyed putting him in pass protection, and those 19 yards put the Panthers in position to kick a field goal after they’d won the coin flip and maneuvered to get the wind at the end.
—
Luke Decock, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2025
Luke Decock, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decoyed
Verb
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You might be tempted to say yes too quickly or settle for less just to avoid the discomfort of waiting.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
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But maybe you were tempted to let Clippy stay, like a digital pet that had quietly wandered over to express curiosity before settling in to keep you company.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While some of the women who came here willingly embraced ISIS ideology and passed it on to their children, many others say they were trafficked or lured to the region through ignorance or under false pretenses.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
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The subsidies lured Reservation Dogs.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Inside, a fuzzy white possum, seduced by cat food, sits, befuddled.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
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In an industry often seduced by scale and swagger, Claire offers something far more enduring.—
Julie Lin,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Barnes persuaded Imam and his new wife, Alice, to join the project in Steubenville, and the couple bought a house there in 2019.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
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In fact, his ally House Speaker Mike Johnson persuaded him to take it down.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As Dead City grow beyond the outlaw punk scene, the entertainment industry is enticed yet wary of this genuinely divisive and chaotic band.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
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More than half of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in such plans, enticed by lower monthly premiums and extra benefits not covered by traditional Medicare, according to health policy research firm KFF.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decoyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decoyed. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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