decoy

American  

[dee-koi, dih-koi, dih-koi] / ˈdi kɔɪ, dɪˈkɔɪ, dɪˈkɔɪ /

noun

decoys plural

1. a person who entices or lures another person or thing, as into danger, a trap, or the like.

2. anything used as a lure.

   Synonyms:

   allurement, inducement, bait, enticement

3. a trained bird or other animal used to entice game into a trap or within gunshot.

4. an artificial bird, as a painted wooden duck, used for the same purpose.

5. a pond into which wild fowl are lured for capture.

6. an object capable of reflecting radar waves, used as a spurious aircraft, missile, chaff, etc., for the deception of radar detectors.

---

verb (used with object)

decoys, present (3rd person singular) decoyed, past participle, past decoying present participle

1. to lure by or as if by a decoy.

   They decoyed the ducks to an area right in front of the blind.

verb (used without object)

decoys, present (3rd person singular) decoyed, past participle, past decoying present participle

1. to become decoyed.

   Ducks decoy more easily than most other waterfowl.

decoy British  

noun

1. a person or thing used to beguile or lead someone into danger; lure

2. military something designed to deceive an enemy or divert his attention

3. a bird or animal, or an image of one, used to lure game into a trap or within shooting range

4. an enclosed space or large trap, often with a wide funnelled entrance, into which game can be lured for capture

5. another word for deke

---

verb

1. to lure or be lured by or as if by means of a decoy

2. (tr) another word for deke

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• decoyer
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• decoys
  plural

Participles

• decoying
  present
• decoyed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• decoy
  simple
• decoys
  simple
• have decoyed
  perfect
• has decoyed
  perfect
• am decoying
  progressive
• are decoying
  progressive
• is decoying
  progressive
• have been decoying
  perfect progressive
• has been decoying
  perfect progressive

Past

• decoyed
  simple
• had decoyed
  perfect
• was decoying
  progressive
• were decoying
  progressive
• had been decoying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will decoy
  simple
• will have decoyed
  perfect
• will be decoying
  progressive
• will have been decoying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of decoy

1610–20; variant of coy (now dial.) < Dutch ( de ) kooi (the) cage, Middle Dutch cōie < Latin cavea cage

Explanation

A decoy is a fake version of something used to play a trick or lead you into danger, like the cork duck decoys hunters put on the pond to make the real ducks think it's safe to stop by. Decoy most often refers to bait used for trapping or killing an animal, but it can be any object or plan used to lead someone or something into trouble. Fisherman use worm decoys on their lures to catch fish, just like police use people as undercover decoys to catch criminals. While etymologists aren't positive, they suspect decoy comes from the Dutch kooi, which means “a cage.” So think of luring a mouse into a cage with a big slice of decoy cheese.

Example Sentences

Unlike proving the negative, as in Mackey, here the desired deceptive outcome will be actual votes for Decoy Dan.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026

In the meantime, they have been working on their debut album at the renowned Decoy Studios in Melton, England.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

In the other half, we reduced expression using "Tough Decoy" constructs.

From Science Daily • Feb. 17, 2026

On his Aug. 28 bobblehead night, his dog, Decoy, delivered the first pitch in a sprint from the mound to the plate, then in the first inning Ohtani casually stepped up and homered.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2024

Crouching down beneath the Cloak, he placed the Decoy Detonator on the ground.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling