lure

American  

[loor] / lʊər /

noun

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)

lured, luring

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

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

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”

Example Sentences

How much can a film criticize big tech’s spell over children when the long-running “Toy Story” franchise is similarly designed to lure its audience into a stupor, and for increasingly diminishing returns.

From Salon

In a historic shift away from the lure of global upheaval and toward a more pragmatic coexistence with the rest of the world, including the West, it now largely follows Sharaa’s path.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s exactly who they are trying to lure back to the center store.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Sure, a “new year, new you” discount at the gym lures me there — but then I don’t stay.

From Los Angeles Times

But lured by a fake advert for a charity job in Africa devised by reporters seeking to confront him, he was filmed in Brussels in 2010 refusing to answer questions about his past.

From BBC