honeypot

or hon·ey pot

[ huhn-ee-pot ]

noun

1. a pot, as of glass or silver, for storing and serving honey.
2. a person or thing that acts as a lure or decoy in a trap, scam, or scheme: I thought my money was safe, but the other investors were all honeypots who were lying about their profits.

   The senator engaged in an extramarital relationship with a honeypot set up by his political rivals.

   I thought my money was safe, but the other investors were all honeypots who were lying about their profits.

3. something or some location that is attractive or rewarding and that entices a specific group of people: The author’s childhood home became a tourism honeypot for the small town.

   The unregulated dating app was a honeypot for catfishing and predatory behaviors.

   The author’s childhood home became a tourism honeypot for the small town.

4. Digital Technology.
   1. a computer system, isolated from the rest of its network, established as bait to lure malicious hackers into engaging with it, thereby revealing the identity or technique of the perpetrator without endangering the network or its data.
   2. a web page or section of hidden code in a web page that lures spammers into an interaction that identifies their content as spam or reveals its point of origin.
5. Slang: Vulgar. the vagina.

honeypot

/ ˈhʌnɪˌpɒt /

noun

1. a container for honey
2. something which attracts people in great numbers

   Cornwall is a honeypot for tourists

Word History and Origins

Origin of honeypot¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; honey, pot ¹

Example Sentences

Some described a phenomenon known in the research as the “honeypot effect.”

From Salon

You could also set up fake phone numbers—in cybersecurity terms, a honeypot.

From Scientific American

Ramblers Cymru said improving the wider footpath network would help alleviate some of the pressures seen at so-called "honeypot sites" like Snowdon and Pen y Fan during the pandemic.

From BBC

When a student visits one of these “honeypot” sites during an online test, the site automatically sends data back to the student’s remote testing software, indicating that the student is attempting to cheat.

From The Verge

So was the plum pudding, which melted in one’s mouth, likewise the jellies, in which Amy reveled like a fly in a honeypot.

From Literature