decoy

Meanings

Plural: decoys

Noun

• a beguiler who leads someone into danger (usually as part of a plot)
• something used to lure fish or other animals into danger so they can be trapped or killed
• A person or object meant to lure somebody into danger.
• A real or fake animal used by hunters to lure game.
• Deceptive military device used to draw enemy attention or fire away from a more important target.
• An assembly of hooped or netted corridors into which wild ducks may be enticed (originally by tame ducks) and trapped.

Verb

• lure or entrap with or as if with a decoy
• To lead into danger by artifice; to lure into a net or snare; to entrap.
• To act as, or use, a decoy.

Synonyms

bait, body double, decoy, lure, red herring, steerer

Related Words

correspondent, counterpart, dependent, fake, imitate, lie, red herring, substitute