tempt
Americanverb (used with object)
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to entice or allure to do something often regarded as unwise, wrong, or immoral.
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to attract, appeal strongly to, or invite.
The offer tempts me.
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to render strongly disposed to do something.
The book tempted me to read more on the subject.
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to put (someone) to the test in a venturesome way; provoke.
to tempt one's fate.
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Obsolete. to try or test.
verb
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to attempt to persuade or entice to do something, esp something morally wrong or unwise
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to allure, invite, or attract
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to give rise to a desire in (someone) to do something; dispose
their unfriendliness tempted me to leave the party
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to risk provoking (esp in the phrase tempt fate )
Synonym Usage
Tempt, seduce may both mean to allure or entice to something unwise or wicked. To tempt is to attract by holding out the probability of gratification or advantage, often in the direction of that which is wrong or unwise: to tempt a man with a bribe. To seduce is literally to lead astray, sometimes from that which absorbs one or demands attention, but oftener, in a moral sense, from rectitude, chastity, etc.: to seduce a person away from loyalty.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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pretemptverb (used with object)
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untemptableadjective
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temptableadjective
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untemptedadjective
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self-temptedadjective
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supertemptverb (used with object)
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tempternoun
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has temptedperfect 3rd person singular
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have temptedperfect
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is temptingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been temptingperfect progressive
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has been temptingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are temptingprogressive
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am temptingprogressive 1st person singular
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temptingparticiple
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temptssingular 3rd person
Past
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had temptedperfect
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were temptingprogressive plural
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had been temptingperfect progressive
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was temptingprogressive singular
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temptedparticiple
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temptedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of tempt
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English from Latin temptāre “to probe, feel, test, tempt”
Explanation
To tempt is to lure or entice. You might tempt your runaway dog back inside with pieces of cheese. The verb tempt often has negative implications: "Don't let those bullies tempt you into picking on smaller kids!" When something tempts you, it's often with the knowledge that it's not the best idea, however attractive it might be. Tempt was originally a religious term, meaning "to entice to evil or sin," while today it's more likely to be a slice of cake that tempts us than the devil.
Vocabulary lists containing tempt
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While not trying to become Labour leader herself, West had hoped to tempt others to launch a bid.
From BBC • May 11, 2026
More recently, another Hollywood offer did tempt her, but she ultimately passed.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
Surprising events and negative news can always tempt investors into suddenly adopting radically different strategies: fast trading, market timing, ultrahigh dividends and other techniques that purportedly reduce risk or raise return.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
What could tempt Japanese companies to bring money back home is this year’s spectacular gains in Japanese stocks.
From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026
He unfastened the bell and put it way back in the cash register drawer, next to Mama’s earring, so it wouldn’t tempt anyone else.
From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
