as in tempting
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
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Recent Examples of leading on
That’s what leading on the ground looks like.
—
Raja Walia, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Ramps leading on and off the interstate.
—Idaho Statesman, 13 Aug. 2025
Raja Walia, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Ramps leading on and off the interstate.
—Idaho Statesman, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leading on
Verb
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In a sponsor category long dominated by two giants, the athleisure maker joins a wave of challengers tempting star players with opportunities for creative input—and lucrative financial terms.—
Matt Craig,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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That is an obvious but nevertheless tempting play with Burrow and the first-string offense in action.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Police arrested a person suspected of kidnapping a man after luring him to a location with promises of a photography session.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Sep. 2025
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This is because Curaçao has a rich legacy of live performance, with such local genres as ritmo kombina and tumba luring locals into small clubs packed with full-on mini orchestras.—
Baz Dreisinger,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But after Davina publicly accuses Julia mid-labor of seducing Lord Lovat, the group of women suddenly turn on Julia, yelling at her to repent her sins and repeatedly questioning her about the paternity of her child.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
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The drama follows Veneno (played by non-pro Víctor Miguel), a headstrong young drifter who survives by seducing truck drivers at 24-hour roadside diners called cachimbas.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But much like Howard Jarvis feared, the tax-and-spend interests have sought to destroy Proposition 13 ever since, most recently by persuading courts to carve loopholes in its constitutional protections and invent new ways for government agencies to raise revenue.—
Jon Coupal,
Oc Register,
7 Sep. 2025
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Elizabeth Stage, whose Oakland hills home barely escaped the deadly 1991 firestorm, and whose work as president of the Oakland FireSafe Council involves persuading residents to adopt Zone 0 measures, said the study would be a helpful, persuasive tool.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Leading on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leading%20on. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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