decoy
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Something used to lure fish or other animals into danger so they can be trapped or killed.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
duhkoySay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
dəˈkɔɪ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Something used to lure fish or other animals into danger so they can be trapped or killed
A person or object meant to lure somebody into danger.
A real or fake animal used by hunters to lure game.
An assembly of hooped or netted corridors into which wild ducks may be enticed (originally by tame ducks) and trapped.
Deceptive military device used to draw enemy attention or fire away from a more important target.
verb
transitive
To lead into danger by artifice; to lure into a net or snare; to entrap.
intransitive
To act as, or use, a decoy.
Word at a Glance
- Frequency
- Uncommon
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Something used to lure fish or other animals into danger so they can be trapped or killed
Used this way, decoy is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Critical or judgemental
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: something used to lure fish
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.