tempts

verb

present tense third-person singular of tempt
1
as in seduces
to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage that chocolate dessert sure tempts me, but I should stick with my diet

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in risks
to take a chance on refusing to lay in enough food for the long winter tempts the dangers of starvation

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 tempts While Sal tempts Sessa’s Bourdain with drugs, thievery and more bad behavior. — Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 The slight dogleg to the right tempts players to take an aggressive line off the tee, but an expansive waste bunker guards the shortcut and punishes any miscalculation. — Jeff Goudy, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 Plus, there’s something about being part of the process of buying (or growing) the ingredients and preparing a recipe that piques the curiosity of even the pickiest eater and tempts them to take a bite. — Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 25 July 2026 Daniel’s presence is but one of many not-so-subtle ways Lestat tempts Louis back into his life. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 June 2026 Doue and Dembele also drop into midfield, while Kvaratskhelia is his usual destructive self off the left, rounding off a nightmare of rotations and raw running power that tempts defences out of their shape before smashing through. — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 29 May 2026 Frida is the most significant secondary figure — the person who tempts Gabrielle away from her trajectory, making her pause and ponder roads not taken. — Jon Frosch, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026 Boxing tempts him, the business world motivates him and his role as a promoter excites him. — Jorge Ebro may 6, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026 The casino now resides in many homes and daily tempts the occupants. — Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tempts
  1. seduces
  2. risks
  3. entices
  4. confronts
  5. lures
  6. persuades
  7. betrays
Verb
  • On his final voyage, Gulliver meets the Houyhnhnms, a race of supremely intelligent horses that follow the wisdom of reason and tradition rather than the speculation of science and technology that seduces the Laputans.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Andie, as research for an article about modern dating, seduces Benjamin and then transforms herself into the girlfriend from hell.
    — Jack Dunn, Variety, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of seduces
Verb
  • Ukraine’s former defense minister is launching a military tech company backed by Palantir CEO Alex Karp, a decision that risks alienating Kyiv’s European backers.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Such an operation risks the significant loss of American life, huge costs to Iranian civilians, and disorder across the entire region.
    — JAMES F. JEFFREY, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of risks
Verb
  • The high-concept thriller stars Valeria Bruni Tedeschi as a demonic character called The Stranger, who entices a young mother played by Jasmine Trinca into forging a Faustian pact.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
  • All of this casts doubt on whether the event will pull the kind of star power that entices TV networks to break their regular prime-time programming and compel viewers to skip an NFL game to tune in.
    — Daniel Strauss, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of entices
Verb
  • The administration confronts anger over rising costs, reclassified casualties and Brent crude near $95 a barrel, with gas prices and inflation squeezing Americans as Republicans try to protect narrow congressional majorities.
    — Aamer Madhani, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • In the finale, Alice confronts Easton at his home and has to acknowledge that an entire cohort of people — cops, other wealthy men, even Easton’s own daughter — were complicit in his crimes.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of confronts
Verb
  • The show lures corporate sponsors to the marketing mecca, where brands hope to convert experience seekers into true believers, eventually disciples.
    — Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Scott said of his guidance for production designer Chris Seavers, who was tasked with creating the creepy airport where off-kilter flight attendant Allison Janney lures the film’s heroes to potential doom.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of lures
Verb
  • The eight-episode series, written by Peter Ocko, follows a giant tech conglomerate that persuades the city to place a powerful robot on its police force – a robot implanted with the consciousness of a beloved fallen officer, Alex Murphy (Stevens).
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Nia then persuades Tefa to join her in smuggling cell phones into the regional prison.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of persuades
Verb
  • While voters’ choices have been, more often than not, defensible, the unanimity betrays a lack of imagination and drains any hint of drama from the ceremony.
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The series follows Mónica, a newly qualified lawyer who learns to defraud clients, manipulates her family to secure an inheritance, then betrays her mentor.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of betrays

Browse Nearby Words

temptresses
tempts
ten
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Cite this Entry

“Tempts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempts. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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