seduce
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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unseducibleadjective
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seducibleadjective
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unseduciblenessnoun
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seducernoun
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seduceableadjective
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unseduciblyadverb
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seducinglyadverb
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has seducedperfect 3rd person singular
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have seducedperfect
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am seducingprogressive 1st person singular
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is seducingprogressive 3rd person singular
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seducingparticiple
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seducessingular 3rd person
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have been seducingperfect progressive
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are seducingprogressive
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has been seducingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had seducedperfect
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were seducingprogressive plural
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seducedsimple
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was seducingprogressive singular
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had been seducingperfect progressive
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seducedparticiple
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.
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
HBO had already spent a mint trying to seduce viewers with its glamorous vision of antiquity.
From Salon • Dec. 7, 2025
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
Predictably, there’s a storm of fascination around Cignetti, and the snotty assumption that some bumbling Goliath like Penn State or Florida State will helicopter in with a Godfather offer and seduce the Hoosier coach.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 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
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.
