LEAD ON Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

lead on

verb

Definition of lead on

as in to tempt

to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage a con man whose dupes are usually led on by their own greed and eagerness to turn an easy buck

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lead on

Verb

What will be just as interesting is if Democrats start thinking of Texas as a swing state, too, and whether their Presidential nominee in 2028 is tempted to put James Talarico or Gina Hinojosa on the ticket.

— Ian Crouch, New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2026
Things to do Hotel Motto is not just a base for exploring the city – the rooms are so comfortable you might be tempted not to leave them.

— Irenie Forshaw, TheWeek, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of tempt

Verb

Last month, the parent company of the new Texas Stock Exchange raised $155 million in a third funding round meant to lure companies away from the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.

— Shelly Banjo, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Once Anchovy Jack settled in one area, rescuers lured him into a humane trap.

— Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of lure

Verb

Our personal data is constantly being bought and sold by all manner of companies and organizations that use it to target us with advertisements, seduce us with scams, and otherwise waste our precious time.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 4 Nov. 2026
The last crime, a blackmail scheme that involved hiring a prostitute to seduce his sister’s husband, suggests a dubious approach to conflict management.

— Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of seduce

Verb

And Michael was obviously the most on my case, and there was no persuading him otherwise.

— Ellise Shafer, Variety, 31 Oct. 2026
In 2020, Ben Motal aptly persuaded the Court of Appeals that the FOIA's right to copy records includes photographing them, after Little Rock incredibly barred him from snapping a picture of an accident report.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of persuade

Verb

Once the victim engages in a back-and-forth, a supervisor experienced in emotional manipulation takes over to build a relationship and entice the victim to hand over their money.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
Only a handful of new acts a year develop with the profile and following to entice that kind of spending on physical product from their fans, but there’s no shortage of such acts to be found in the past.

— Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of entice

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.

Cite this Entry

Style

“Lead on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lead%20on. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of lead on

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

defer

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes