decoy

American  

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

noun

• decoys
  plural

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)

• decoys,
  present (3rd person singular)
• decoyed,
  past participle,  past
• decoying
  present participle

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)

• decoys,
  present (3rd person singular)
• decoyed,
  past participle,  past
• decoying
  present participle

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

Derived Forms

• decoyer
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• decoys
  plural

Participles

• decoying
  present
• decoyed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• decoy
  simple
• decoys
  simple
• have decoyed
  perfect
• has decoyed
  perfect
• am decoying
  progressive
• are decoying
  progressive
• is decoying
  progressive
• have been decoying
  perfect progressive
• has been decoying
  perfect progressive

Past

• decoyed
  simple
• had decoyed
  perfect
• was decoying
  progressive
• were decoying
  progressive
• had been decoying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will decoy
  simple
• will have decoyed
  perfect
• will be decoying
  progressive
• will have been decoying
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of decoy

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

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Explanation

A decoy is a fake version of something used to play a trick or lead you into danger, like the cork duck decoys hunters put on the pond to make the real ducks think it's safe to stop by. Decoy most often refers to bait used for trapping or killing an animal, but it can be any object or plan used to lead someone or something into trouble. Fisherman use worm decoys on their lures to catch fish, just like police use people as undercover decoys to catch criminals. While etymologists aren't positive, they suspect decoy comes from the Dutch kooi, which means “a cage.” So think of luring a mouse into a cage with a big slice of decoy cheese.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

decoy decoys decoyed decoying

"South Korea and the United States deploy decoy targets to divert torpedoes, but AI could potentially help distinguish real targets from decoys," Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

But he remains a committed thespian, approaching his job as decoy as though it’s a juicy part in a network drama.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

I left annoyed by the overall movie, yet haunted by a half-dozen of its images: Andie vacuuming the decoy house before the next shoot, a woman in the workplace handling an overlooked job.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

Left behind on the decoy plane were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and other administration officials and aides.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

Rupa handed him the plastic decoy mask, and Baba slipped it on so that the painted human face covered the back of his head.

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins

Some traveling media expressed anger at having unwittingly served as decoys, while others complained about deception and lack of communication from the White House.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Appropriate steps might include building and deploying decoys that look like Patriot air-defense systems or fighter jets to draw enemy fire.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

The venues are like decoys, real estate ventures that would find a way no matter the acts or genre, it turns out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2026

But there is no evidence that AI can help solve the problem of blocking hundreds of fast-flying warheads embedded in a cloud of decoys.

From Salon ● Nov. 27, 2025

One senator denounced the various “illegal plots, counterplots, espionage, decoys, dictographs” that were being used not to “detect and prosecute crime but...to shield profiteers, bribe takers and favorites.”

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

I sent him on a long scavenger hunt, then decoyed him in for a backhand drop and flicked it crosscourt into open space.

From The New Yorker ● Jan. 18, 2016

But then: "The tempter came, like the serpent of Eden, and decoyed them with the majic word of 'freedom.'"

From Time ● Apr. 7, 2011

Cost of equipment and wages has gone up; motor cars have decoyed passengers and, by crowding thoroughfares, have increased cost of running cars.

From Time Magazine Archive

Police whistles trilled madly as Legionnaires decoyed harried truck drivers to the curb.

From Time Magazine Archive

We are decoyed into danger by false appearances or representations.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Noah Webster

Duplicitous collectors have created a thriving ecosystem of stockpiling, hiding, and decoying that makes it well-nigh impossible to find a scooter in need of charging.

From Slate ● May 22, 2018

Instead, he concentrates on controlling the boards, decoying enemy defenders, setting up teammates for open shots.

From Time Magazine Archive

This is especially true when you're rattling, calling, or decoying big game.

From Time Magazine Archive

And more recently, at Thanksgiving, after I made a queen-high straight on the turn and raked in all the remaining chips, the wind wound up wrong for decoying geese at our favorite blind.

From Time Magazine Archive

Her gentle efforts to guide the hand of destiny, by decoying her master with fertile tricks or by reticent considerations these had not bean strong enough to be recognized in the despotism of fife.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

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