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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If you’re tempted to join them, there’s no shortage of entry points.—
Zoey Goto,
Travel + Leisure,
2 June 2026
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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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After constructing a timeline, investigators concluded that Emilio had been lured to meet Alvarez shortly before his disappearance.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
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In Alonso, though, Chelsea has lured an elite-level manager with a point to prove after the way things ended for him at Real Madrid.—
Graham Ruthven,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Young women being preyed upon and seduced by rapacious Hollywood producers, stars and studio heads is a tired cliché, but like all clichés, it is based on reality.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
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Mina is seduced by a shapeshifting, lovelorn vampire while Jonathan is waylaid by the count’s sexy (and horrific) brides at his Transylvanian castle.—
Jesse Hassenger,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 June 2026
Verb
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That’s because people could be persuaded to sell shares off to wealthy investors for a quicker payout, rather than holding on to them and letting their wealth compound.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
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Amanda defended Cady when he was charged with the murder of his wife and unborn child, and ultimately persuaded him to take a plea deal.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
4 June 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 11 Jun. 2026.
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