lure

American  

[loor] / lʊər /

noun

• lures
  plural

1. anything that attracts, entices, or allures.

   Synonyms:

   temptation

2. the power of attracting or enticing.

3. a decoy; live or especially artificial bait used in fishing or trapping.

4. Falconry. a feathered decoy for attracting a hawk, swung at the end of a long line and sometimes baited with raw meat.

5. a flap or tassel dangling from the dorsal fin of pediculate fishes, as the angler, that attracts prey to the mouth region.

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verb (used with object)

• lures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• lured,
  past participle,  past
• luring
  present participle

1. to attract, entice, or tempt; allure.

   Synonyms:

   seduce

   Antonyms:

   repel

2. to draw or recall (especially a falcon), as by a lure or decoy.

idioms

1. in lure, noting a pair of wings joined with the tips downward.

lure British  

/ lʊə /

verb

1. to tempt or attract by the promise of some type of reward

2. falconry to entice (a hawk or falcon) from the air to the falconer by a lure

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noun

1. a person or thing that lures

2. angling any of various types of brightly-coloured artificial spinning baits, usually consisting of a plastic or metal body mounted with hooks and trimmed with feathers, etc See jig plug spoon

3. falconry a feathered decoy to which small pieces of meat can be attached and which is equipped with a long thong

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lurement
  noun
• lurer
  noun
• unlured
  adjective
• luringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• lures
  plural

Participles

• luring
  present
• lured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• lure
  simple
• lures
  simple
• have lured
  perfect
• has lured
  perfect
• am luring
  progressive
• are luring
  progressive
• is luring
  progressive
• have been luring
  perfect progressive
• has been luring
  perfect progressive

Past

• lured
  simple
• had lured
  perfect
• was luring
  progressive
• were luring
  progressive
• had been luring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will lure
  simple
• will have lured
  perfect
• will be luring
  progressive
• will have been luring
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of lure

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French luere ( French leurre ), from Frankish lothr- (unrecorded); cognate with Middle High German luoder, German Luder “bait”

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Explanation

To lure is to entice or bait someone. A lure is used to bait or entice fish to attach themselves to your hook. "He had a new shiny lure, which was enough to lure me into going on the fishing trip." The verb lure is related to words that mean “bait,” “deceit,” and “invite.” Often, when lure is used, there is a nefarious implication, as in: “He was able to lure her into the alley, but her friends soon came looking for her.” The noun lure is the thing that draws in the person or animal, which can be either a physical object or a concept. "The lure of his great wealth kept her in the relationship despite his infidelity."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lure lures lured luring

And they are spending big to lure and retain top-tier partners as once-loyal star lawyers get more comfortable jumping ship in search of a bigger payday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Industry editors, sound mixers, visual effects artists and composers had said such a credit was necessary to lure jobs back from overseas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

When Gabriel committed himself to United in the summer of 2025, the lure of breaking through at United, and the targets he could aim for, was strong.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

The $1,000 in free money is a big lure for families of newborns.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

Men shout from their tents and lure customers with promises of what's inside.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Forever, the strategy for fishing with artificial lures has been to “match the hatch”—to replicate the baitfish, bugs and other prey that fish snack on.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

The group used pheromone lures "which mimic the scent given off by the female moth to attract males" to look for it.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

"We suspect during the final construction stage the spider adds a pheromone that specifically lures worker ants and induces an aggressive attack, triggering the snare," said Professor Narendra.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

Known as the “Danish capital of America,” the city lures in more than one million tourists a year, generating around $9 million annual in hotel and sales tax revenue, according to the New York Post.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

The little plastic tackle case had a small variety of silver spoons and some feathered lures, and he tried them all.

From "The Voyage Of The Frog" by Gary Paulsen

Despite the attacks, shipowners continue to send vessels through the strait, lured by the high shipping rates they can charge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

In his first UK broadcast interview, the Wall Street Journal correspondent said he realised he had been "lured into a trap" when masked men surrounded him at a restaurant in March 2023, and arrested him.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

Andie gets lured into a lunch date with a rival executive who tries to woo her over to ABC.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

But Saunders noted that they’re now more likely to be geared toward adults, who might be lured by nostalgia or the collectibles frenzy.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

“The ranger told me she’d come to us if we lured her with milk. It might take a while for her to trust us.”

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins

LIV spent £3.7bn, luring players like DeChambeau with lucrative contracts and significant prize money.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

The state’s light regulation and low taxes are luring dozens of big companies.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

One of his biggest accomplishments was luring Adolph out of retirement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

The West End has bounced back from the pandemic far stronger than Broadway, taking the lead in total admissions and luring more American theatergoers and producers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Different smells kept luring Victor into the kitchen, but every time he tried to sneak a taste he got his fingers rapped with a wooden spoon.

From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke

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