attractant

American  

[uh-trak-tuhnt] / əˈtræk tənt /

noun

1. an attracting agent or substance; lure.

   the sex attractant of the cockroach;

   a synthetic attractant used to bait insect traps.

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attractant British  

/ əˈtræktənt /

noun

1. a substance that attracts, esp a chemical ( sex attractant ) produced by an insect and attracting insects of the same species See also pheromone

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Etymology

Origin of attractant

First recorded in 1810–15; attract + -ant

Example Sentences

"There's clearly an attractant in the water," Pepin-Neff says, suggesting that a "perfect storm" of low salinity freshwater could have created a "biodiversity explosion".

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

Using an attractant like pinene eliminates the need to hunt for the termites.

From Science Daily • May 31, 2024

“Chemo” stands for “chemoattractant”—it’s the attractant for white blood cells.

From Scientific American • Jun. 21, 2023

Another idea involves devising a chemical attractant to lure the insects into baited traps, although such an effort would also risk summoning uncontrollable swarms of bugs into currently unaffected groves.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 27, 2022

Government scientists have developed an attractant called methyl-eugenol, which males of the oriental fruit fly and the melon fly find irresistible.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson