to decoy

Examples

• All

• You decoyed me?

  Miss Sloane (2016)

• You are decoying me away from Anne.

  Fiction book (1994)

• Decoy them away from us

  The Wild Geese (1978)

• All right, listen, you all stay here for about 60 seconds, I'm gonna go decoy 'em.

  Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976)

• I'll decoy!

  Night Watch (1995)

• You're doing a splendid job decoying the Jerries.

  Patton (1970)

• They decoyed us!

  Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004)

• We've been decoyed.

  Outbreak (1995)

• If we can decoy Saruman's Orcs there... ...the fortress will stop them longer than the wooden halls of Edoras.

  The Lord of the Rings (1978)

• She used a fake bird to decoy the ducks into the trap.

Synonyms

T

to trick

vsto decoy

289 3.5

To make someone believe something false so you can get what you want

relies on a false object to attract instead of general deceit

D

to deceive

vsto decoy

229 3.9

To make someone believe something that is not true to get an advantage

centres on attracting someone with a false object rather than lying broadly

C

to con

vsto decoy

• Informal

81 7.3

To trick someone into giving their money or things

focuses on drawing a target with a false object rather than theft

B

to bait

vsto decoy

26 3.2

To use something to lure a person, animal or fish into a trap

focuses on using a false object to lure targets

E

to entrap

vsto decoy

18 7.2

To catch a person or animal by tricking them so they cannot escape

focuses on luring via a false object rather than general capture

B

to bamboozle

vsto decoy

• Informal

12 8.3

To trick someone by pretending you want to help them

uses a simple false object to lure rather than complex scheming

H

to hoodwink

vsto decoy

11 7.4

To make someone believe something that is not true

depends on a false object to lure rather than clever surprise

S

to sucker

vsto decoy

• Informal

6 6.0

To trick someone into doing something

uses a false object to lure action rather than mere persuasion

P

to put one over

vsto decoy

• Informal

4 7.8

To make someone believe something that is not true

involves attracting someone with a false object rather than mere trick success

C

to con someone

vsto decoy

• Slang

1 7.7

To trick someone to get their money

uses a false object to attract victims rather than direct exploitation

P

to put one past

vsto decoy

• UK

8.3

To trick someone into believing something false

relies on a false object to draw attention rather than passing a lie

Compounds

D

decoy-duck

1 6.5

A fake duck made of wood or plastic that hunters use to attract real ducks

How Deceptive

trap

622 2.0

to decoy

3 6.1

to lure

273 3.7

to entice

58 4.9

to attract

936 1.9

Surface Forms

Etymology