2 entries under this word

Decoy

De-coy', v. t.

verbtransitive

v. t. [imp. & p. p. DECOYED; p. pr. & vb. n. DECOYING.] [From de and coy, q. v.; originally, to quiet, soothe, caress, entice.] To lead or entice into a snare; to lead into danger by artifice; to deceive; to entrap; to insnare; as, to decoy ducks into a net; to decoy troops into an ambush.

E'en while fashion's brightest arts decoy, The heart, distrusting, asks if this be joy. Goldsmith.

De-coy', n.

noun

Sense 1. Any thing intended to lead into a snare; a lure that deceives and misleads into danger, or the power of an enemy.

Sense 2. A wild fowl, or the likeness of one, used by sportsmen to entice other fowl into a net or within shot.

Sense 3. A place into which wild fowls are enticed in order to take them.