decoy

American  

[dee-koi, dih-koi, dih-koi] / ˈdi kɔɪ, dɪˈkɔɪ, dɪˈkɔɪ /

noun

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

2. anything used as a lure.

   Synonyms:

   allurement, inducement, bait, enticement

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

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

5. a pond into which wild fowl are lured for capture.

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

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verb (used with object)

1. 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)

1. to become decoyed.

   Ducks decoy more easily than most other waterfowl.

decoy British  

noun

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

2. military something designed to deceive an enemy or divert his attention

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

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

5. another word for deke

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verb

1. to lure or be lured by or as if by means of a decoy

2. (tr) another word for deke

Other Word Forms

• decoyer noun

Etymology

Origin of decoy

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

Example Sentences

The lawsuit was the result of an undercover investigation into Meta’s platforms that created decoy profiles posing as children aged 14 years and younger.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The information they pass will be decoy intelligence, but we want to see if there is German movement in reaction to the information.”

From Literature

Nicknamed "the Bone", the aircraft has advanced radar and GPS systems to help hit targets, and electronic jammers, radar warnings and a decoy system to protect it from enemies.

From BBC

Other times I’m delivering a message to one address, and the rest of my package is a decoy.

From Literature

But no country has pushed the balloon frontier further than Ukraine, which is using them to execute audacious strikes deep inside Russia, as well as for reconnaissance and transportation, and as decoys.

From The Wall Street Journal