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
-
If you’re tempted to join them, there’s no shortage of entry points.—
Zoey Goto,
Travel + Leisure,
2 June 2026
-
So, Alamo decides to kill Rue in an uncharacteristically anticlimactic fashion — by giving her painkillers laced with fentanyl and trusting that the addict will be tempted enough to swallow them.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
1 June 2026
Verb
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This year is not the first time lukewarm waters have lured the apex predators to the region.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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Three All Saints Episcopal School students lured a fourth student to participate in a TikTok challenge this month that became a catastrophic assault, leaving the boy unconscious for several minutes, temporarily paralyzed and with fractured vertebrae, according to a lawsuit filed this week.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Picture yourself in a boat on the Riviera… Most rock superstars have been seduced by the glamor of the Cannes Film Festival at some point in their career.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
16 May 2026
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The sister of King Charles III is rarely seduced by trends, fashions, or labels.—
Laura Scafati,
Vanity Fair,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Pollock persuaded Cineplex Odeon to invest in the film, limiting Universal’s risk.—
Isaac Butler,
New Yorker,
30 May 2026
-
Some laughed as their classmates persuaded them.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Verb
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More Arsenal fans have searched for the shirt since the parade, with 55 bought from Etsy in the 24 hours after the parade, but the reference is what enticed buyers pre-title win.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
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Anthropic’s advances in coding and cybersecurity capabilities have rattled markets and also enticed new business customers.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decoyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decoyed. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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