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

"It doesn't matter if you kill all the sharks in Sydney Harbor – if there's a shark up the coast and the attractant is still in the water, then the shark's going to come in."

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

For years, as an early-warning alert system, the county agricultural people had been hanging Medfly traps hither and thither among our pretty, fructiferous trees — little A-frame-shaped cardboard doohickeys with a dab of fly attractant.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2024

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

It was a tremendous breakthrough, therefore, when, after years of effort, chemists of the Agriculture Department recently succeeded in isolating the attractant.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson