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

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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 Pigeon hunting in Argentina offers the opportunity for decoying birds and was the most fun of the species to hunt there, in my opinion. — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 12 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for decoying

Verb

The moody Moon squares enthusiastic Jupiter early this morning, tempting us to spend too much, promise too much, or turn one feeling into a full production.

— Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 Sep. 2026
However, when one of the three women feels guilty about snubbing their lifelong pal, Mel shows up and suddenly the weekend turns to complete chaos, tempting the trio to break free from the madness that has hobbled their friend group for years.

— Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of tempting

Verb

The words themselves feel poetic, almost decadent, but the images are robbed of their power to meet them, as each frame feels aimed only at presenting, rather than luring or excavating.

— Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026
Using that relationship, Epstein had posed as a talent scout for the brand, luring young women to his hotel room under the pretext of auditions.

— Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of luring

Verb

Still, with more than 40,000 industry jobs lost in the past few years, soundstages and vendor storefronts sitting empty, and lucrative overseas incentives seducing even more production away, things are bleak in town right now.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 6 Aug. 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 seducing

Verb

For consumers, the idea behind Insilico's latest drug research is enticing enough − take a new drug and reverse your biological clock a few years.

— Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Once viewed only as a source of capital, today Saudi Arabia is enticing technology companies to come and do business.

— Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of enticing

Verb

In other words, setting direction, then guiding, persuading and motivating others, isn’t enough anymore.

— Liz Guthridge, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
But as in other eligibility cases brought against the NCAA, the athletes here came up short in persuading Chambers that their exclusion harms a market that antitrust law ought to protect.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of persuading

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decoyed

decoying

decoys

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“Decoying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decoying. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of decoying

verb

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