1
as in to lure
to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage
that chocolate dessert sure tempts me, but I should stick with my diet
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to risk
to take a chance on
refusing to lay in enough food for the long winter tempts the dangers of starvation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tempt
Baker said the plan is to nearly double the mix of updated and new styles to tempt consumers to shop Canada Goose more often.
—
Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 21 May 2025
If you’re tempted to try it yourself, just remember to be mindful and avoid filming other passengers or cabin crew.
—Isabelle Rodney, CNN Money, 20 May 2025
Users might be tempted to delay applying the update until there’s clarity from Microsoft, but often these reports are only seen afterward.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025
One might be tempted to say that this dismissal is merely another episode in the grotesque sitcom that is Trumpian politics.
—Jack Hill, Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tempt
Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 21 May 2025
If you’re tempted to try it yourself, just remember to be mindful and avoid filming other passengers or cabin crew.
—Isabelle Rodney, CNN Money, 20 May 2025
Users might be tempted to delay applying the update until there’s clarity from Microsoft, but often these reports are only seen afterward.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025
One might be tempted to say that this dismissal is merely another episode in the grotesque sitcom that is Trumpian politics.
—Jack Hill, Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tempt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tempt
Verb
-
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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Video surveillance appeared to show a man with a can of food luring the cat before grabbing the animal and driving away in a white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2025
Verb
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Ludovic Marin/Getty Images French President Emmanuel Macron cautioned the US and Indo-Pacific nations Friday against risking a dangerous double standard by focusing on China while potentially abandoning Ukraine.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
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In short, America risks taking on the economic traits of a badly run emerging economy (look at how the Turkish lira and bond market have performed in the past five years as an extreme comparison).—
Mike O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
30 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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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
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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The filmmakers told me that Spiegelman’s free-speech run-in with the county school board was instrumental in persuading WNET to back Disaster Is My Muse.—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2025
Verb
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Its summery beat and pop hooks are primed to reach a mainstream audience, and its twisting structure and intense second half make sure that the song doesn’t betray the band’s core appeal.—
Eric Renner Brown,
Billboard,
20 May 2025
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His relationship with Elisabeth Moss’ June was a complicated matter that involved fathering one of her children, assisting her efforts to escape from/bring down Gilead and then betraying her at a crucial point in the rebellion.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempt. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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