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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lead on
Verb
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Profits from gas and oil have been pumped into the development of a leisure infrastructure to tempt tourists and drive business to local companies.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026 -
You’re tempted to pick out the single load-bearing word—a Guts or a Sour to fit these songs inside.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Businesses set up signs, posters and international flags to lure locals and tourists alike, while the Miracle Theater hosted a watch party for the match between France and Senegal.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
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Fallout The crisis has exposed divisions within González’s own party as her administration works to lure new investors to the island and remedy chronic power outages.—
Vera Lucia Pappaterra,
Miami Herald,
19 June 2026
Verb
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One class in, and Hannah is thoroughly seduced both by Melanie’s flattery and by her therapyspeak approach to acting, with its talk of truth-telling and connecting to one’s body.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 June 2026
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Young women being preyed upon and seduced by rapacious Hollywood producers, stars and studio heads is a tired cliché, but like all clichés, it is based on reality.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
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After receiving news that Ruben has lost his appeal and seems resigned to his fate, Anna naturally springs into action in a last-ditch effort to persuade the governor of his innocence.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
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For a service built on impulse viewing, telco deals buy instant reach and built-in billing in price-sensitive markets where persuading users to sign up directly can be hard.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Seen from the other side of the deal, that means that bond issuers must pay higher yields, or rates, for investors to be enticed to buy.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
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Financial incentives offered by the conservation district, in conjunction with federal programs, have enticed farmers in the South Fork of the Republican River near Burlington to end irrigation on an additional 20,000 acres.—
Allen Best,
Denver Post,
14 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Lead on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lead%20on. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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