decoy

[ noun dee-koi, dih-koi; verb dih-koi ]

/ noun ˈdi kɔɪ, dɪˈkɔɪ; verb dɪˈkɔɪ /

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noun

a person who entices or lures another person or thing, as into danger, a trap, or the like.

anything used as a lure.

a trained bird or other animal used to entice game into a trap or within gunshot.

an artificial bird, as a painted wooden duck, used for the same purpose.

a pond into which wild fowl are lured for capture.

an object capable of reflecting radar waves, used as a spurious aircraft, missile, chaff, etc., for the deception of radar detectors.

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.

Nearby words

Origin of decoy

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

SYNONYMS FOR decoy

2. enticement, bait, inducement, allurement.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR decoy ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsde·coy·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for decoy

Lönnborg, who works as a lawyer in London, has on several occasions posed as Elin, acting as a decoy to throw off the paparazzi.
Elin's New Life in Sweden|Katarina Andersson|September 6, 2010|DAILY BEAST
One of the two boys in the centre acting as decoy cried “Sheep, sheep, come home!”
The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol II of II)|Alice Bertha Gomme
He forthwith thinks of a decoy, and is careful not to approach.
The Delight Makers|Adolf Bandelier
There is no "decoy" that will attract a fox a mile, but there are some that are good.
Fox Trapping|A. R. (Arthur Robert) Harding

In Thuringia they are kept in cages to be employed as lures in the area or decoy enclosure.
The Natural History of Cage Birds|J. M. Bechstein
Not wishing to shoot, for the decoy was a valuable one, I shouted vigorously, and sent out the dog.
Ways of Wood Folk|William J. Long

British Dictionary definitions for decoy

decoy

noun (ˈdiːkɔɪ, dɪˈkɔɪ)

a person or thing used to beguile or lead someone into danger; lure

military something designed to deceive an enemy or divert his attention

a bird or animal, or an image of one, used to lure game into a trap or within shooting range

an enclosed space or large trap, often with a wide funnelled entrance, into which game can be lured for capture

Canadian another word for deke (def. 1)

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 Formsdecoyer, 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

Word Origin and History for decoy

decoy

1610s, perhaps from Dutch kooi "cage," used of a pond surrounded by nets, into which wildfowl were lured for capture, from West Germanic *kaiwa, from Latin cavea "cage." The first element is possibly the Dutch definite article de, mistaken in English as part of the word. But decoy, of unknown origin, was the name of a card game popular c.1550-1650, and this may have influenced the form of the word.

decoy

1650s, from decoy (n.). Related: Decoyed; decoying.

decoy

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of decoy

Examples from the Web for decoy

decoy

noun (ˈdiːkɔɪ, dɪˈkɔɪ)

verb (dɪˈkɔɪ)

Word Origin for decoy

decoy

decoy