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decoy

[ noun dee-koi, dih-koi; verb dih-koi ]
/ noun ˈdi kɔɪ, dɪˈkɔɪ; verb dɪˈkɔɪ /
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noun
verb (used with object)
to lure by or as if by a decoy: They decoyed the ducks to an area right in front of the blind.
verb (used without object)
to become decoyed: Ducks decoy more easily than most other waterfowl.
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Origin of decoy

1610–20; variant of coy (now dial.) <Dutch (de) kooi (the) cage, Middle Dutch cōie<Latin caveacage

OTHER WORDS FROM decoy

de·coy·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use decoy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for decoy

decoy

noun (ˈdiːkɔɪ, dɪˈkɔɪ)
verb (dɪˈkɔɪ)
to lure or be lured by or as if by means of a decoy
(tr) Canadian another word for deke (def. 2)

Derived forms of decoy

decoyer, noun

Word Origin for decoy

C17: probably from Dutch de kooi, literally: the cage, from Latin cavea cage
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
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