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decoy

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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From Dutch de +‎ kooi, literally "the cage". Possibly related to verb coy (which itself may have been influenced by decoy).

Pronunciation

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  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈdiːkɔɪ/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -iːkɔɪ

Noun

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decoy (plural decoys)

  1. A person or object meant to lure somebody into danger.
  2. A real or fake animal used by hunters to lure game.
  3. Deceptive military device used to draw enemy attention or fire away from a more important target.
  4. An assembly of hooped or netted corridors into which wild ducks may be enticed (originally by tame ducks) and trapped.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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decoy (third-person singular simple present decoys, present participle decoying, simple past and past participle decoyed)

  1. (transitive) To lead into danger by artifice; to lure into a net or snare; to entrap.
    to decoy troops into an ambush; to decoy ducks into a net
  2. (intransitive) To act as, or use, a decoy. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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Anagrams

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