lure

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈljʊər/, /ˈlʊər/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/lʊr/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(lŏŏr)

Inflections of 'lure' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
lures
v 3rd person singular
luring
v pres p
lured
v past
lured
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
lure /lʊr/USA pronunciation   n., v., lured, lur•ing. 
n. [countable]
  1. anything that attracts or tempts:the lure of the big city.
  2. Sporta live or esp. plastic or metal object used as bait in fishing or trapping.

v. [~ + object]
  1. to attract or tempt:Can we lure you away from your present job?

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
lure  (lŏŏr),USA pronunciation n., v., lured, lur•ing. 
n. 
  1. anything that attracts, entices, or allures.
  2. the power of attracting or enticing.
  3. a decoy;
    live or esp. artificial bait used in fishing or trapping.
  4. Sport[Falconry.]a feathered decoy for attracting a hawk, swung at the end of a long line and sometimes baited with raw meat.
  5. a flap or tassel dangling from the dorsal fin of pediculate fishes, as the angler, that attracts prey to the mouth region.
  6. Heraldry in lure, noting a pair of wings joined with the tips downward (opposed to a vol).

v.t. 
  1. to attract, entice, or tempt;
    allure.
  2. to draw or recall (esp. a falcon), as by a lure or decoy.
  • Frankish *lothr-, cognate with Middle High German luoder, German Luder bait
  • Anglo-French, Old French luere (French leurre)
  • Middle English 1350–1400
lure′ment, n. 
lur′er, n. 
lur′ing•ly, adv. 
    1. temptation. 7. seduce.
    7. repel.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
lure /lʊə/ vb (transitive)
  1. sometimes followed by away or into: to tempt or attract by the promise of some type of reward
  2. to entice (a hawk or falcon) from the air to the falconer by a lure
 n
  1. a person or thing that lures
  2. 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
  3. a feathered decoy to which small pieces of meat can be attached and which is equipped with a long thong
Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French loirre falconer's lure, from Germanic; related to Old English lathian to inviteˈlurer n
'lure' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
abet - allure - angler - angling - beckon - bite - bribe - carrot - catfish - come on - crocodile tears - decoy - elicit - entrap - falconry - fly - honeypot - lead on - Parthenope - seduce - siren - spin - spinner - spinning - spoon - stool - troll - wile - as - attractant - attraction - backcast - bait - bait casting - call - chum - come-on - entice - fiction - fly casting - gyplure - inducement - inveigle - invite - jacklight - leader - plant - plug - plug casting - plunker
Collocations: the lure of [money, fame, power, stardom, glamor], the lure of [alcohol, drugs, sex, chocolate], the lure of the [countryside, bright lights, big city], more...

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