DECOYING Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

decoying

verb

present participle of decoy

as in tempting

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of decoying What these guys really care about is decoying ducks in and seeing the show. — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 9 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for decoying

Verb

Others tried to widen their gaze to make sure their eyes would be open as the camera clicked, though the afternoon sun was tempting us to squint.

— Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026
Be honest about what’s irritating or tempting you, because something’s got to give!

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026

Definition of tempting

Verb

After a shaky 2025, Chipotle is successfully luring customers back — even with spiking gas prices and other higher costs pressuring dining budgets.

— Amelia Lucas,Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 29 July 2026
The young women acted as underground assassins, seducing Nazi officers, luring them into the woods and killing them.

— Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026

Definition of luring

Verb

The young women acted as underground assassins, seducing Nazi officers, luring them into the woods and killing them.

— Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026
The writer thinks that the person seducing the main character is just some flotsam, hardly worth a second look.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 June 2026

Definition of seducing

Verb

Instead, the Rays used a less-enticing package to get Freddy Peralta from the New York Mets.

— John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2026
Favorite examples include installing mirrors in elevators and enticing customers to tolerate waits with the promise of free goods or services.

— Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 31 July 2026

Definition of enticing

Verb

Zoox successfully navigated the regulations by persuading the NHTSA to allow temporary permission.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Aug. 2026
This broader strategy also helps explain why persuading countries to avoid Chinese AI will likely prove considerably more difficult than Washington’s earlier campaign against Huawei and ZTE.

— Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of persuading

Verb

Below, in the second half of the same game, the two holding midfielders (yellow) and full-backs (white) both stay deep, baiting the press.

— Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 30 July 2026
Better Than a Scammer Laurent Giovannoni is a principal software engineer at Filigran, a threat intelligence platform, and will present code for ScamBuster, a scam-baiting program designed to waste scammers’ time and energy.

— Kim Key, PC Magazine, 30 July 2026

Definition of baiting

Browse Nearby Words

decoyed

decoying

decoys

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Decoying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decoying. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of decoying

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on decoying

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

torpor

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes