GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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Found 2 definitions

1.       
   Decoy , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Decoyed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Decoying.] [Pref. de- + coy; orig., to quiet, soothe, caress, entice. See Coy.] To lead into danger by artifice; to lure into a net or snare; to entrap; to insnare; to allure; to entice; as, to decoy troops into an ambush; to decoy ducks into a net.
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   Did to a lonely cot his steps decoy.
   Thomson.
   
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   E'en while fashion's brightest arts decoy,
   The heart, distrusting, asks if this be joy.
   Goldsmith.
   Syn. -- To entice; tempt; allure; lure. See Allure.
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2.       
   Decoy, n.
   Anything intended to lead into a snare; a lure that deceives and misleads into danger, or into the power of an enemy; a bait.
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   A fowl, or the likeness of one, used by sportsmen to entice other fowl into a net or within shot.
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   A place into which wild fowl, esp. ducks, are enticed in order to take or shoot them.
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   A person employed by officers of justice, or parties exposed to injury, to induce a suspected person to commit an offense under circumstances that will lead to his detection.
   1913 Webster