Meaning & use
lure
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To tempt or attract someone or something into a place or situation, often by trickery or promise.
Grammar: Takes an object and often a preposition: lure someone into something.
Patterns
- lure someone into something
- lure someone away from something
- lure someone with something
The scammers lured her into sending money with promises of easy profit.
Cheap flights lured thousands of tourists to the island.
He lured the cat out of the tree with a bit of cheese.
nounsingular
Something that tempts or attracts, such as a promise of reward.
Grammar: Often found in the lure of something.
Patterns
- the lure of something
The lure of big money drew many young people to the city.
She could not resist the lure of the mountains.
nouncountable
An artificial bait, used to attract fish or animals so they can be caught.
Grammar: Used in fishing and hunting.
Patterns
- a fishing lure
- use a lure
He tied a shiny lure to the end of the line.
The hunter used a lure to attract the ducks.
Word forms
| third person singular | lures |
|---|---|
| past tense | lured |
| past participle | lured |
| -ing form | luring |
| plural | lures |
Common combinations
- lure someone into
- The ad lured shoppers into the store.
- lure away
- A rival firm lured her best engineer away.
- the lure of
- The lure of the city was too strong.
- a fishing lure
- He bought a new fishing lure.
- lure into a trap
- Police lured the thief into a trap.
Synonyms and how they differ
- entice
- Entice is more positive and does not always imply trickery, unlike lure.
- tempt
- Tempt stresses causing someone to want something, often something they should avoid.
- attract
- Attract is neutral and has no hint of trick or danger.
- bait
- Bait is the thing used in fishing or to trick, and as a verb it suggests deliberate provocation.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: lure or lore? lure or allure?
lure vs lore
Lore is traditional knowledge and stories. Lure is a temptation or bait.
lure vs allure
Allure is a pleasant, charming attraction, while lure often involves trickery.
Practice
The promise of free tickets was used to ___ people into signing up.
Choose one answer.
Lure means to tempt someone with a promise. Lore is a noun about traditional knowledge and cannot be a verb here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lure”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.