lure

American  

[loor] / lʊər /

noun

lures plural

1. anything that attracts, entices, or allures.

   Synonyms:

   temptation

2. the power of attracting or enticing.

3. a decoy; live or especially artificial bait used in fishing or trapping.

4. Falconry. a feathered decoy for attracting a hawk, swung at the end of a long line and sometimes baited with raw meat.

5. a flap or tassel dangling from the dorsal fin of pediculate fishes, as the angler, that attracts prey to the mouth region.

---

verb (used with object)

lures, present (3rd person singular) lured, past participle, past luring present participle

1. to attract, entice, or tempt; allure.

   Synonyms:

   seduce

   Antonyms:

   repel

2. to draw or recall (especially a falcon), as by a lure or decoy.

idioms

1. in lure, noting a pair of wings joined with the tips downward.

lure British  

/ lʊə /

verb

1. to tempt or attract by the promise of some type of reward

2. falconry to entice (a hawk or falcon) from the air to the falconer by a lure

---

noun

1. a person or thing that lures

2. angling any of various types of brightly-coloured artificial spinning baits, usually consisting of a plastic or metal body mounted with hooks and trimmed with feathers, etc See jig plug spoon

3. falconry a feathered decoy to which small pieces of meat can be attached and which is equipped with a long thong

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lurement
  noun
• lurer
  noun
• unlured
  adjective
• luringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• lures
  plural

Participles

• luring
  present
• lured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• lure
  simple
• lures
  simple
• have lured
  perfect
• has lured
  perfect
• am luring
  progressive
• are luring
  progressive
• is luring
  progressive
• have been luring
  perfect progressive
• has been luring
  perfect progressive

Past

• lured
  simple
• had lured
  perfect
• was luring
  progressive
• were luring
  progressive
• had been luring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will lure
  simple
• will have lured
  perfect
• will be luring
  progressive
• will have been luring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of lure

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French luere ( French leurre ), from Frankish lothr- (unrecorded); cognate with Middle High German luoder, German Luder “bait”

Explanation

To lure is to entice or bait someone. A lure is used to bait or entice fish to attach themselves to your hook. "He had a new shiny lure, which was enough to lure me into going on the fishing trip." The verb lure is related to words that mean “bait,” “deceit,” and “invite.” Often, when lure is used, there is a nefarious implication, as in: “He was able to lure her into the alley, but her friends soon came looking for her.” The noun lure is the thing that draws in the person or animal, which can be either a physical object or a concept. "The lure of his great wealth kept her in the relationship despite his infidelity."

Example Sentences

Asset managers are developing income-oriented equity products that may lure older savers off the sidelines, Nomoto says.

From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026

“People who have been traumatized with generational poverty are the most vulnerable to the lure of materialism,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026

Just weeks after Roberto de Zerbi's side narrowly avoided relegation on the final day, they are trying to lure one of Newcastle's best players to North London.

From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026

Las Vegas once offered cheap hotel rooms and buffets as loss leaders to lure gamblers into casinos.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

These would be likely to intrigue the soothsayer and lure her out of hiding, if she happened to be in earshot.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood