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.

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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

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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

See Examples For:

lure lures lured luring

Lisa was standing on top of a Warner Bros. soundstage ready to open the box of prop ashes, to allow them to float over “Old Hollywood,” a lure that Mickey loved.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

While companies aren’t doing lots of hiring, they might have to pay more to lure talented people from other jobs.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

The idea to accommodate Nazi generals in comfort to lure them into indiscretions was a "brilliantly devious strategy", Albano said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

They lure mosquitoes with carbon dioxide—all vertebrates release the gas with each exhale, so to mosquitoes, it usually signals a meal.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

When the great-grandfather died Aureliano stopped going by the house, but he would run into Nigromanta under the dark almond trees on the square, using her wild-animal whistles to lure the few night owls.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The group used pheromone lures "which mimic the scent given off by the female moth to attract males" to look for it.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

"We suspect during the final construction stage the spider adds a pheromone that specifically lures worker ants and induces an aggressive attack, triggering the snare," said Professor Narendra.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

Known as the “Danish capital of America,” the city lures in more than one million tourists a year, generating around $9 million annual in hotel and sales tax revenue, according to the New York Post.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

Australia's premier annual cultural event, which lures artists from around the world, unleashed the storm last week when it told Randa Abdel-Fattah it did not "wish to proceed" with her appearance at its Writers' Week.

From Barron's ● Jan. 12, 2026

Abby switched to a whisper as she removed the top tray to reveal another full of little lures.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

He was lured to Monaco but failed, by their standards, and was sacked after 38 matches.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Christopher Nolan's adaptation of "The Odyssey" has not only lured legions of fans to cinemas, but sparked huge interest in the UK in Homer's epic poem and other Greek and Roman mythology works.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Theatrical releases compete fiercely for the attention, time and money of consumers who are being lured by streamers, YouTube, videogames and everything else on a screen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Then Orchid moved to town, lured by a sprawling ranch for her four horses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

I’d heard a harmonica playing again the night before and wondered if that was the sound that lured him out.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

They accuse Hans S of luring her into a secluded area beneath the fortress, known as the General von Aster room after a 19th-Century Prussian general.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

The state’s light regulation and low taxes are luring dozens of big companies.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

One of his biggest accomplishments was luring Adolph out of retirement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

The CIO of Ranmore Funds isn’t too keen on U.S. valuations at present, but the beaten-down software sector is luring him back in.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Strangely, for it was most unlike him, Loki was not around to be praised for his part in luring away the horse Svadilfari.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman