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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Don't let the lawn get so long that you're tempted to hack off several inches of grass and damage your turf.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
5 Mar. 2026
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You may be tempted to start a tiny business doing inspections in your neighborhood or town.—
Tribune Content Agency,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Veterinary Meeting & Expo drew 30,000 visitors for a five-day gathering and the PGA of America Golf Professionals Show lured 33,000 golf industry professionals from 94 countries and all 50 states.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Mar. 2026
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The prestige of the program lured Karaban to UConn, and kept him there, too.—
Greg Dudek,
Boston Herald,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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They were shocked and horrified—and yet entirely seduced.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
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Bale has the more interesting role as the youth who at first chooses Hitler out of expedience, but then becomes seduced by power and status.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The first lady persuaded her husband Franklin Delano Roosevelt to authorize the Lincoln Memorial as the site of Marian Anderson’s concert.—
Paul Keane,
Hartford Courant,
8 Mar. 2026
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While working there, Anderson persuaded Burkle to provide him with $100,000 in seed capital to launch his lobbying firm Platinum Advisors, according to the complaint filed by Burkle’s company.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The team’s top five leaders in minutes this year are all returning players, giving the program unusual continuity during an era when successful mid-major squads often lose their best players through the transfer portal, enticed by more money from power conference schools.—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
11 Mar. 2026
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Players from all over were enticed by the Raiders, who opened up the coffers to land key free agent additions, including linebackers Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decoyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decoyed. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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