lure

[ loor ]
See synonyms for: lureluredluringlurer on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. anything that attracts, entices, or allures.

  2. the power of attracting or enticing.

  1. a decoy; live or especially artificial bait used in fishing or trapping.

  2. Falconry. a feathered decoy for attracting a hawk, swung at the end of a long line and sometimes baited with raw meat.

  3. a flap or tassel dangling from the dorsal fin of pediculate fishes, as the angler, that attracts prey to the mouth region.

verb (used with object),lured, lur·ing.
  1. to attract, entice, or tempt; allure.

  2. to draw or recall (especially a falcon), as by a lure or decoy.

Idioms about lure

  1. in lure, Heraldry. noting a pair of wings joined with the tips downward.

Origin of lure

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French luere (French leurre ), from Frankish lothr- (unrecorded); cognate with Middle High German luoder, German Luder “bait”

Other words for lure

Opposites for lure

Other words from lure

  • lurement, noun
  • lurer, noun
  • lur·ing·ly, adverb
  • un·lured, adjective

Words Nearby lure

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use lure in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lure

lure

/ (lʊə) /


verb(tr)
  1. (sometimes foll by away or into) to tempt or attract by the promise of some type of reward

  2. falconry to entice (a hawk or falcon) from the air to the falconer by a lure

noun
  1. a person or thing that lures

  2. angling any of various types of brightly-coloured artificial spinning baits, usually consisting of a plastic or metal body mounted with hooks and trimmed with feathers, etc: See jig, plug, spoon

  1. falconry a feathered decoy to which small pieces of meat can be attached and which is equipped with a long thong

Origin of lure

1
C14: from Old French loirre falconer's lure, from Germanic; related to Old English lathian to invite

Derived forms of lure

  • lurer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012