as in to tempt
to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage
a con man whose dupes are usually led on by their own greed and eagerness to turn an easy buck
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lead on
Verb
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There was interest from the Saudi Pro League last summer, and clubs may be tempted to try again.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
29 May 2025 -
Setbacks may tempt you to stray from your vision, but staying true to yourself attracts the right clients, collaborators and opportunities.—
Rolling Stone Culture Council,
Rolling Stone,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Brooks, in her movies, lures men to their doom—or taunts men with her availability, only to refuse them.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
23 May 2025
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Competitive tax incentives from other states and countries have also slowly and steadily lured studios away from California.—
Veronica Miracle,
CNN Money,
22 May 2025
Verb
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Sirens is smartest when paralleling the entitlement of 21st century American wealth with Ancient Greek divinity, skewering the insularity and entitlement of these modern plutocrats who throw galas to honor themselves and to torment or seduce the mortals who are their employees and playthings.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2025
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This would suck capital investment back to America in a nanosecond and financially seduce companies to reshore factories, labs and headquarters back here with bargain-low tax rates.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
14 May 2025
Verb
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For fifteen years, the Patriotic Millionaires have waged an earnest battle to persuade wealthy people to lobby for higher taxes on themselves.—
Evan Osnos,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
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But nothing Akasha’s old friend said could persuade Akasha to relinquish his empire.—
Andy Greenberg,
Wired News,
22 May 2025
Verb
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The Navy also has spent considerably more than the others to entice sailors to reenlist, doling out retention bonuses to roughly 70,000 service members for each of the past three years.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 May 2025
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Duffy recently announced a sweeping program to upgrade the agency's technology infrastructure, as well as hiring incentives to entice more would-be air traffic controllers.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Lead on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lead%20on. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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