as in baits
something used to attract animals to a hook or into a trap
we set the decoy afloat in the marsh and from the blind waited for the ducks to arrive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in lures
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
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 decoys
Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
These drones serve as armed escorts, decoys, and intelligence sources.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
Ukraine's Air Force reported that 563 drones and decoys were intercepted or electronically jammed, and that 26 out of 31 missiles of various types were shot down.
—Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Some solitary wasps build many nests together in a community, and some live in nests underground so hanging decoys wouldn’t make a difference.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 26 Aug. 2025
Noun
Ukraine's air force said 810 drones and decoys were used in the strike, including at least 13 missiles.
—Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
These drones serve as armed escorts, decoys, and intelligence sources.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
Ukraine's Air Force reported that 563 drones and decoys were intercepted or electronically jammed, and that 26 out of 31 missiles of various types were shot down.
—Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Some solitary wasps build many nests together in a community, and some live in nests underground so hanging decoys wouldn’t make a difference.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decoys
Noun
-
Ant baits are effective because foraging workers take the food back to the nest and share so that everyone in the colony is exposed.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Included are seven types of lure rigs, hooks, soft baits, hard baits, spinners and more.—
Christopher Murray
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Designed in China and fueled by kits sold or rented to threat actors around the world, these attacks are disguised as unpaid toll, undelivered package or motoring offense lures.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
-
About an hour ferry ride from Milazzo, Vulcano lures visitors with its active volcano, Gran Cratere, and open-air mud baths just steps from the port, where bathers slather on the mineral-rich goodness before rinsing in the sea.—
Nicky Swallow,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Unwind Along the Coast Zanzibar, a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa, tempts with spice tours, rooftop cocktails, and sunset dhow sails.—
Karin Jones,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The device contains, among other things, doorways to other dimensions, including one that tempts Peacemaker with a seemingly storybook version of his broken family.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Everything about the scene seduces the viewer into what dining while traveling in the most luxurious fashion could be, and once was.—
Kristin L. Wolfe,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
-
In his youth, the blue-eyed Stamp was widely considered one of the most handsome men onscreen, and Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini used that to peculiar effect in Teorema (1968), casting the actor as a nameless and wordless visitor who seduces an entire household.—
Rhett Bartlett,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decoys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decoys. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share