tempt
Meanings
Verb
- dispose or incline or entice to
- "We were tempted by the delicious-looking food"
- provoke someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises or persuasion
- "He lured me into temptation"
- give rise to a desire by being attractive or inviting
- "the window displays tempted the shoppers"
- induce into action by using one's charm
- try to seduce
- try presumptuously
- "St. Anthony was tempted in the desert"
- To provoke someone to do wrong, especially by promising a reward; to entice.
- To attract; to allure.
- To provoke something; to court.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English tempten, from Old French tempter (French: tenter), from Latin temptare, from tentare (“to handle, touch, try, test, tempt”), frequentative of tendere (“to stretch”). Displaced native English costning (“temptation”).
Synonyms
abet, actuate, allure, arrest, attract, becharm, beckon, beguile, bewitch, bring about, captivate, charm, cheer, court, delight, draw, drive, egg on, enchant, encourage, engage, engender, enrapture, enthrall, entice, entrance, evoke, excite, fand, fascinate, foment, goad, grill, hypnotize, ignite, impel, incite, induce, inflame, influence, instigate, interest, intrigue, invite, invoke, lash, lure, mesmerize, motivate, motive, move, obligate, oblige, pander, promote, prompt, provoke, pull, pull in, push, rouse, seduce, send, set off, sirenize, spark off, spellbind, spur, spur on, stimulate, sting, stir, stir up, stoke, tease, tempt, tole, urge, whet, whip up
Scrabble Score: 9
tempt is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL wordtempt is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
tempt is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary