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

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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 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
  1. tempting
  2. luring
  3. seducing
  4. enticing
  5. persuading
  6. baiting
Verb
  • The snacks spill from every aisle, tempting you with Ghost Pepper Potato Chips and two-bite cookies in plastic drums while you’re supposed to be finding the frozen broccoli.
    — Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of tempting
Verb
  • North Korea hasn't publicly commented on the transfer but has previously claimed major defections of its citizens were the result of South Korea abducting them or luring them to flee.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • So what is now luring companies to Dallas and this new exchange, in the eyes of someone with long-standing roots in the community?
    — Ian Thomas, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of luring
Verb
  • Adva Lavie, an OnlyFans model, already is facing criminal charges in Los Angeles County for allegedly seducing and stealing from rich men.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of seducing
Verb
  • The package from Meta was enticing enough for Desai to give up his pay package and severance at MongoDB.
    — Samantha Subin,Chris Eudaily, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026
  • After Gerald’s Game (2017), Doctor Sleep (2019), and The Life of Chuck (2024) — and with The Mist on the way — there’s something enticing about Flanagan taking his cumulative knowledge of the author’s lexicon to revisit King’s very first novel.
    — Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of enticing
Verb
  • RatHat relies heavily on persuading people to sideload malicious apps.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Any legal maneuvers could take months to play out and may have the effect of persuading his targets to postpone any plans to leave the Fed, as Powell has already done.
    — Matt Peterson, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of persuading
Verb
  • But someone needs to jar Bell's memory and adjust his grasp of facts to get him off this race-baiting narrative.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Our top picks include the second season of a stylish video game spin-off anime and an Emmy-baiting prestige drama.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of baiting

Browse Nearby Words

decoyed
decoying
decoys
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

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