decoying

verb

present participle of decoy
as in tempting
to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage tacky souvenir shops to which first-time tourists had been decoyed into spending their hard-earned money

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 decoying Pigeon hunting in Argentina offers the opportunity for decoying birds and was the most fun of the species to hunt there, in my opinion. — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 12 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decoying
  1. tempting
  2. luring
  3. seducing
  4. enticing
  5. persuading
  6. baiting
Verb
  • Their highest-profile signing has come on the women’s side, tempting Polish great Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, second at both the Tour de France and World Championships this season, to join from Canyon-SRAM.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The snacks spill from every aisle, tempting you with Ghost Pepper Potato Chips and two-bite cookies in plastic drums while you’re supposed to be finding the frozen broccoli.
    — Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of tempting
Verb
  • Neighbors said the man began kicking and mistreating the dog before eventually luring the husky away from the yard with food.
    — Hunter Sowards, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Popular at American Chinese or Cajun-style Chinese restaurants, the sticky-sweet chicken is the utter definition of delicious, luring weary shoppers into food courts to find refuge from the bubblegum pink sweatpants and ripped denim.
    — Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of luring
Verb
  • Adva Lavie, an OnlyFans model, already is facing criminal charges in Los Angeles County for allegedly seducing and stealing from rich men.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Still, with more than 40,000 industry jobs lost in the past few years, soundstages and vendor storefronts sitting empty, and lucrative overseas incentives seducing even more production away, things are bleak in town right now.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of seducing
Verb
  • Caruso has been charged with kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse inflicting mental injury.
    — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In essence, disruptor brands give athletes only-child treatment, which is enticing in a crowded market.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of enticing
Verb
  • The company’s reputation was built partly on persuading audiences to take chances on inexpensive, surprising horror outings — often with little more than a compelling premise to go on.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Campaigns are entering a crucial stretch for persuading the independent voters who will probably determine outcomes in swing races.
    — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of persuading
Verb
  • In Pakistan, Choudhary told me, the workforce of the author-baiting scams is largely made up of high-school and university graduates.
    — Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 13 Oct. 2026
  • But someone needs to jar Bell's memory and adjust his grasp of facts to get him off this race-baiting narrative.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of baiting

Browse Nearby Words

decoyed
decoying
decoys
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Decoying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decoying. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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