Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

allure1

[uh-loo r]
See more synonyms for allure on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), al·lured, al·lur·ing.
  1. to attract or tempt by something flattering or desirable.
  2. to fascinate; charm.
Show More
verb (used without object), al·lured, al·lur·ing.
  1. to be attractive or tempting.
Show More
noun
  1. fascination; charm; appeal.
Show More

Origin of allure1

1375–1425; late Middle English aluren < Middle French alurer, equivalent to a- a-5 + lurer to lure
Related formsal·lur·er, nounun·al·lured, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for allure on Thesaurus.com
1. entice, lure. 2. enchant, entrance, captivate. 4. glamor, attraction.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for allured

Historical Examples

  • He was not, however, to be allured by passports or even terrified by threats.

    The Swedish Revolution Under Gustavus Vasa

    Paul Barron Watson

  • She is, or is not, allured to Edinburgh, 'a wedding for to see.'

  • Europe, which he had scarcely glimpsed, glittered and allured.

    The Lovely Lady

    Mary Austin

  • "I must have it at any price," says the Nabob, allured by the name of Mora.

  • She was not allured, hardly tempted, by the young man's offer as he made it.

    Linda Tressel

    Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for allured

allure

verb
  1. (tr) to entice or tempt (someone) to a person or place or to a course of action; attract
Show More
noun
  1. attractiveness; appealthe cottage's allure was its isolation
Show More
Derived Formsallurement, nounallurer, noun

Word Origin

C15: from Old French alurer, from lure bait, lure
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for allured

allure

v.

c.1400, from Anglo-French alurer, Old French aleurer "to attract, captivate; train a falcon to hunt," from à "to" (see ad-) + loirre "falconer's lure," from a Frankish word (see lure), perhaps influenced by French allure "gait, way of walking." Related: Allured; alluring. The noun is first attested 1540s; properly this sense is allurement.

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper