entice
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- enticement noun
- enticer noun
- enticing adjective
- enticingly adverb
- enticingness noun
- unenticed adjective
Etymology
Origin of entice
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English enticen, from Old French enticier “to incite,” from unattested Vulgar Latin intitiāre, equivalent to Latin in- in- 2 + -titiāre, verbal derivative of unattested titius, for titiō “piece of burning wood”
Explanation
Let's say your friend wants to go to the movies and you don't want to. Your friend might try to entice you by offering to buy you popcorn and a soda. Entice means to persuade with promises of something. The word entice means to lure or tempt someone by promising them something that they like. It is a little manipulative but in a fairly straightforward way. You always know it when someone is enticing you. If a company really wants to hire you, they will entice you with a good salary and generous benefits. The promise of a gold star is often enough to entice small children to get good grades.
Vocabulary lists containing entice
Nothing But the Truth
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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And Then There Were None
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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.
Nothing has been done in the meantime to enlarge our shipbuilding capacity, or entice a larger or more skilled workforce.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
A few of these CCRCs entice newcomers with health issues; Broadview Senior Living at Purchase College in New York recently offered 50% off care costs for the first six months.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026
Lendeborg told The Associated Press that the University of Kentucky had dangled between US$7 million and $9 million to entice him to transfer there in 2025.
From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026
Microsoft has tried to entice more users to its consumer Copilot by launching new features, such as a tool announced last week that lets the chatbot dispense personalized healthcare advice informed by users’ medical history.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
About the same time, a strange traffic began at home: college football coaches, come to entice Jim to their schools.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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.
