decoy

UK: /ˈdiːkɔɪ/

US: /n. ˈdikɔɪ; v. dɪˈkɔɪ, ˈdikɔɪ/

US: (n. dē′koi, di koi′; v. di koi′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

de•coy /n. ˈdikɔɪ; v. dɪˈkɔɪ, ˈdikɔɪ/   n. [countable]

1. a person, thing, or action that lures another into danger or a trap:
   The car the police were chasing was a decoy.
2. Sport an artificial bird used to lure game into a trap or within gunshot:
   a duck decoy.

v. [ ~ + obj (+ into + verb-ing)]

3. to lure, trick, or trap by or as if by a decoy:
   The fighter pilots were decoyed by the enemy into shooting at unarmed missiles.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

de•coy  (n. dē′koi, di koi′;v. di koi′), n. 

1. a person who entices or lures another person or thing, as into danger, a trap, or the like.
2. anything used as a lure.
3. Sport a trained bird or other animal used to entice game into a trap or within gunshot.
4. Sport an artificial bird, as a painted wooden duck, used for the same purpose.
5. Sport a pond into which wild fowl are lured for capture.
6. an object capable of reflecting radar waves, used as a spurious aircraft, missile, chaff, etc., for the deception of radar detectors.

v.t. 

7. to lure by or as if by a decoy:
   They decoyed the ducks to an area right in front of the blind.

v.i. 

8. to become decoyed:
   Ducks decoy more easily than most other waterfowl.

• Latin cavea cage
• Dutch (de) kooi (the) cage, Middle Dutch cōie
• variant of coy (now dialect, dialectal) 1610–20

de•coy′er, n. 
Synonyms

• 2. enticement, bait, inducement, allurement.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

decoy noun / ˈdiːkɔɪ dɪˈkɔɪ/

1. a person or thing used to beguile or lead someone into danger; lure
2. something designed to deceive an enemy or divert his or her attention
3. a bird or animal, or an image of one, used to lure game into a trap or within shooting range
4. an enclosed space or large trap, often with a wide funnelled entrance, into which game can be lured for capture
5. 
   another word for deke1

verb / dɪˈkɔɪ/

1. to lure or be lured by or as if by means of a decoy
2. (transitive)
   

Etymology: 17th Century: probably from Dutch de kooi, literally: the cage, from Latin cavea cage