tempt
Americanverb (used with object)
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to entice or allure to do something often regarded as unwise, wrong, or immoral.
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to attract, appeal strongly to, or invite.
The offer tempts me.
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to render strongly disposed to do something.
The book tempted me to read more on the subject.
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to put (someone) to the test in a venturesome way; provoke.
to tempt one's fate.
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Obsolete. to try or test.
verb
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to attempt to persuade or entice to do something, esp something morally wrong or unwise
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to allure, invite, or attract
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to give rise to a desire in (someone) to do something; dispose
their unfriendliness tempted me to leave the party
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to risk provoking (esp in the phrase tempt fate )
Related Words
Tempt, seduce may both mean to allure or entice to something unwise or wicked. To tempt is to attract by holding out the probability of gratification or advantage, often in the direction of that which is wrong or unwise: to tempt a man with a bribe. To seduce is literally to lead astray, sometimes from that which absorbs one or demands attention, but oftener, in a moral sense, from rectitude, chastity, etc.: to seduce a person away from loyalty.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tempt
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English from Latin temptāre “to probe, feel, test, tempt”
Explanation
To tempt is to lure or entice. You might tempt your runaway dog back inside with pieces of cheese. The verb tempt often has negative implications: "Don't let those bullies tempt you into picking on smaller kids!" When something tempts you, it's often with the knowledge that it's not the best idea, however attractive it might be. Tempt was originally a religious term, meaning "to entice to evil or sin," while today it's more likely to be a slice of cake that tempts us than the devil.
Vocabulary lists containing tempt
Achievement First 5th Grade IA 1 Words
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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.
Record-holder Anderson, 38, thought his racing days were over until Kopke approached him to tempt him out of retirement this year.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
The teenager tossed one up to tempt opener Georgia Plimmer into hitting to mid-off for 20 in her second over and in her last had Green caught at long-on.
From BBC • May 10, 2026
Surprising events and negative news can always tempt investors into suddenly adopting radically different strategies: fast trading, market timing, ultrahigh dividends and other techniques that purportedly reduce risk or raise return.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
Indian stocks, still at higher multiples than emerging market peers, need to fall by 20% to tempt global investors back, Budaghyan estimates.
From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026
What you don’t know won’t tempt you, Aunt Lydia used to say.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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.
