- a variation of alure.
allure
Americanverb (used with object)
-
allures,
present (3rd person singular)
-
allured,
past participle, past
-
alluring
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
allures,
present (3rd person singular)
-
allured,
past participle, past
-
alluring
present participle
noun
-
allures
plural
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
alluresimple
-
alluressimple
-
have alluredperfect
-
has alluredperfect
-
am alluringprogressive
-
are alluringprogressive
-
is alluringprogressive
-
have been alluringperfect progressive
-
has been alluringperfect progressive
Past
-
alluredsimple
-
had alluredperfect
-
was alluringprogressive
-
were alluringprogressive
-
had been alluringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of allure
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English aluren, from Middle French alurer, from a- a- 5 + lurer “to lure”; see lure
Explanation
Something that has allure is powerfully attractive and tempting. A career in Hollywood might have great allure to a teenager who loves acting. You've probably noticed that allure contains lure, from the German word luder meaning "bait." A well-made lure is so alluring to a fish that it won't notice the hook. First used in the 15th century, this word has even landed its own fashion magazine — Allure, which tries to tempt people to buy it by putting powerfully attractive people on the cover and hoping you'll believe that if you buy it, you'll have some allure as well.
Vocabulary lists containing allure
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Vocabulary from texts about Colin Powell
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This Week in Pop Culture : March 9 - 15, 2019
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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.
See Examples For:
The challenge of spotting them adds to their allure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
The tournament's revamped mixed doubles format has attracted criticism for favouring the allure of the sport's top singles stars at the expense of established doubles players.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
In fact, Morocco's economy is booming, at least on the surface, but experts say the persistent allure of life on the other side of the border is rooted in deeper anxieties, particularly among the young.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
Ed gets swept up in her performative antics and elusive, larger-than-life allure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Which only added to the occasional allure of the shopping plaza.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Author Keith Gessen brilliantly captures the daily rhythms, allures and challenges of Moscow life in 2008-2009.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 27, 2018
One of the many allures of heist movies is the clockwork precision of seeing an audacious idea conceived and executed according to plan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2018
Such uncanny beauty was one of the allures of polar travel.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 17, 2017
Mr. McKellen guessed that one of the allures of Mr. Holmes for some audiences had been his character’s quite advanced years — the film toggles between the detective in his 90s and then decades earlier.
From New York Times ● Dec. 16, 2015
But it is no enchantress for whom he pines; it is no seducing frail one who allures him from the path of duty.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 57, No. 354, April 1845 by Various
That year, label scouts began flocking to the city like never before, allured by Chief Keef’s thunderous “Finally Rich” mixtape, along with buzzing music by King Louie and Sasha Go Hard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2023
But for most of the 2000s, the market allured me and my brother with something else: a street lined with video game and computer stores.
From The Verge ● Aug. 11, 2022
As he received his medallion, Mr. Díaz, allured by the acoustics, burst into an excerpt from “Otello,” his deep voice reverberating throughout the room.
From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2021
Francis was allured by her experience in hockey, from her playing days to coaching and as an analyst.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 2021
The picturesque aspects of Venetian decadence allured my fancy.
From The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi; Volume the First by Carlo Gozzi
But, according to Benson, one of the property’s most alluring features is the incredible privacy that it offers thanks to the sprawling 25-acre parcel that it occupies.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
Ma’s greatest challenge, which he meets with wonderful musicianship, is to make Negrón’s engaging melodies, grand swaths of arpeggios, and simple patterns alluring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
The promise of a big yield may sound alluring.
From Barron's ● May 5, 2026
There are more deaths in store in Ms. Zigman’s alluring tale of psychological disintegration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Truth was a changing display in a shop window, manipulated by hands when you weren’t looking, alluring and ever out of reach.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
