n.
- Something that tempts or attracts with the promise of pleasure or reward.
- An attraction or appeal.
- A decoy used in catching animals, especially an artificial bait used in catching fish.
- A bunch of feathers attached to a long cord, used in falconry to recall the hawk.
- To attract by wiles or temptation; entice.
- To recall (a falcon) with a lure.
[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, of Germanic origin.]
lurer lur'er n.luringly lur'ing·ly adv.
SYNONYMS lure, entice, inveigle, decoy, tempt, seduce. These verbs mean to lead or attempt to lead into a wrong or foolish course: Lure suggests the use of something that attracts like bait: Industry often lures scientists from universities by offering them huge salaries. To entice is to draw on skillfully, as by arousing hopes or desires: The teacher tried to entice the shy child into entering the classroom. Inveigle implies winning over by coaxing, flattery, or artful talk: He inveigled a friend into becoming his law partner. To decoy is to trap or ensnare by cunning or deception: Partisans dressed as simple farmers decoyed the soldiers into the crossfire. Tempt implies an encouragement or an attraction to do something, especially something immoral, unwise, or contrary to one's better judgment: I am tempted to tell him what I really think of him. To seduce is to entice away and usually suggests the overcoming of moral resistance: "The French King attempted by splendid offers to seduce him from the cause of the Republic" (Thomas Macaulay).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
