seduce
Americanverb (used with object)
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seduces,
present (3rd person singular)
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seduced,
past participle, past
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seducing
present participle
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to lead astray, as from duty, rectitude, or the like; corrupt.
- Antonyms:
- repel
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to persuade or induce to have sexual intercourse.
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to lead or draw away, as from principles, faith, or allegiance.
He was seduced by the prospect of gain.
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to win over; attract; entice.
a supermarket seducing customers with special sales.
verb
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to persuade to engage in sexual intercourse
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to lead astray, as from the right action
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to win over, attract, or lure
Usage
What does seduce mean? To seduce someone is to make them want to engage in sexual activity with you, especially in a subtle or manipulative way. Seduce is also commonly used in a more general way meaning to tempt or influence someone to do something, especially something bad or something they wouldn’t normally do. Though this sense of the word does not involve sex, it’s still often thought of as a metaphor for the type of seducing that does. Both senses of the word often imply a subtle manipulation in which one’s motives are hidden. People or things that seduce are said to be seductive. The act of seducing is called seduction. Example: They’re going to try to seduce you with flattery and a fancy dinner, but try to focus on the terms of the deal before you make your decision.
Synonym Usage
See tempt.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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seducernoun
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unseduciblenessnoun
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seduceableadjective
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seducibleadjective
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unseducibleadjective
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seducinglyadverb
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unseduciblyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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seducesimple
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seducessimple
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have seducedperfect
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has seducedperfect
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am seducingprogressive
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are seducingprogressive
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is seducingprogressive
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have been seducingperfect progressive
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has been seducingperfect progressive
Past
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seducedsimple
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had seducedperfect
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was seducingprogressive
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were seducingprogressive
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had been seducingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of seduce
First recorded in 1470–80; from Latin sēdūcere “to lead aside,” equivalent to sē- se- + dūcere “to lead”; replacing earlier seduise, from Middle French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
To seduce is to lure or entice, particularly away from obligations or proper behavior. A gorgeous day could seduce you from doing your homework. Seduce means something close to attract, beguile, tempt, and mislead. The word often has romantic overtones, but it doesn't have to: a clever criminal could seduce someone into a life of crime. When you're being seduced, it implies you're being tricked a little bit, often into something that's enticing but not so good.
Vocabulary lists containing seduce
Lead the Way: Duc and Duct
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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Selection Vocabulary 3, Unit 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But in the 1985 novel told from his point of view, he’s reborn as a rock star, emerging from a long, depressive slumber just in time to seduce the MTV generation.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
A flurry of new schemes to launch Europe-based social networks faces a steep, rocky road to seduce users away from American and Asian giants in the sector.
From Barron's ● May 9, 2026
I also have questions for you about conscious or unconscious bias: What actual evidence do you have that this woman is trying to seduce your father?
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 1, 2025
And these sites seduce Americans with power and respect to say out loud stupid—and sometimes vile—things to please a loud and angry fringe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2025
At first Baby Kochamma tried to seduce Father Mulligan with weekly exhibitions of staged charity.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
When Sue Nyathi sent her debut novel The Polygamist to publishers, "they thought there was no market for the book" about a married Zimbabwean man and the women he seduces, she says.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Danielle Pinnock’s character, a Jamaican woman who is taken to America by a wizened older man she refers to as the “old raisin,” has a brassy boldness and bawdiness that also seduces the audience’s affections.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
"This is a collective success by the whole country that perfectly demonstrates Spain's enormous attractivity, because Spain is a country that seduces the world," he said.
From Barron's ● Jan. 15, 2026
If you are an owner, do not hire someone who seduces you with jargon like financial flexibility, hoards minor leaguers and confuses you into believing “prospect” is synonymous with “minor leaguer.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2024
The poet exists always in entire possession of himself: enthusiasm elevates, carries him away, but seduces him never.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 60, No. 373, November 1846 by Various
Take “Avatar,” which seduced audiences with its immersive 3D format so intensely that some viewers reported experiencing depression returning to the real world.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
“It’s really easy to be seduced by your own myths, to think that, for example, every Coach customer out there is that cool Brooklynite wearing vintage,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026
Madrid has emerged as a coveted global luxury housing destination as Latin American and US investors fuel a real estate boom, seduced by competitive prices and high living standards.
From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026
Del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” starred a boyfriend from the Black Lagoon who seduced voters into awarding it best picture and best director in 2018.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026
It’s impossible to imagine her as a typical Illustrian girl, angling for a good match, attending fetes and allowing herself to be seduced by fittingly highborn men.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Instead of singing about seducing women, he talked about empowering them.
From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2026
Like turntables, typewriters, tiki bars and film cameras, these midcentury motels are back, seducing millennials, Gen Z and baby boomers like the character Johnny Rose on the beloved TV series “Schitt’s Creek.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2025
Provided Mencken's declared victory survives the inevitable legal challenges, that means Roman is continuing his father's business model of seducing presidents to fatten the corporate bottom line.
From Salon ● May 20, 2023
“Everyday Play: A Campaign Against Boredom” from London design press Redstone has lately been seducing customers from its place of pride by the front door.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 22, 2023
The smell of barbecue sauce was seeping from the window upstairs, seducing the whole hood.
From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
