as in tempts
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
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Recent Examples of leads on
Instead of the battlefield, the defenseman and Woodstock native leads on the ice as a fifth-year veteran for his team.
—
Kaley Fedko, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
The New York Yankees blew two leads on in Game 2 on Wednesday night before Austin Wells delivered a go-ahead RBI single with two outs in the eighth inning to lift the Bronx Bombers to a 4-3 victory and a decisive Game 3 on Thursday night.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
Assistant coach Eddie Riemer, Farke admits, leads on this discipline, but as part of a wider team effort.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
In the popular television series Teen Wolf, Cho was one of the only Asian American leads on a teen drama during that time period.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Kaley Fedko, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
The New York Yankees blew two leads on in Game 2 on Wednesday night before Austin Wells delivered a go-ahead RBI single with two outs in the eighth inning to lift the Bronx Bombers to a 4-3 victory and a decisive Game 3 on Thursday night.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
Assistant coach Eddie Riemer, Farke admits, leads on this discipline, but as part of a wider team effort.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
In the popular television series Teen Wolf, Cho was one of the only Asian American leads on a teen drama during that time period.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leads on
Verb
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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
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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
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Jimenez’s movement lures Matthijs de Ligt up the pitch, stretching the right side of United’s defence, with Leny Yoro already in an advanced position to defend Iwobi.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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The region’s invigorating multiculturalism also lures visitors with calypso music, island cuisine, and its history as a port of entry to the Caribbean.—
Lydia Price,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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In the final confrontation, Tea persuades Miran to surrender, arguing that doing so will protect his family.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
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The poet titillates, commands by images—and only thus persuades.—
Elaine L. Wang
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With showy wine-red blossoms that perfume the garden with the distinctive aromas of chocolate and vanilla from mid-summer through fall, chocolate cosmos entices butterflies and curious gardeners alike.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
3 Oct. 2025
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The structure is illustrated below, with one player positioned on the byline and another level with the penalty area to form a triangle that entices opponents out to defend.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Leads on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leads%20on. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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