DECOY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does decoy mean? 

• DECOY (noun)
  The noun DECOY has 2 senses:

1. a beguiler who leads someone into danger (usually as part of a plot)

2. something used to lure fish or other animals into danger so they can be trapped or killed

  Familiarity information: DECOY used as a noun is rare.

• DECOY (verb)
  The verb DECOY has 1 sense:

1. lure or entrap with or as if with a decoy

  Familiarity information: DECOY used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DECOY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A beguiler who leads someone into danger (usually as part of a plot)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

decoy; steerer

Hypernyms ("decoy" is a kind of...):

accomplice; confederate (a person who joins with another in carrying out some plan (especially an unethical or illegal plan))

beguiler; cheat; cheater; deceiver; slicker; trickster (someone who leads you to believe something that is not true)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "decoy"):

roper (a decoy who lures customers into a gambling establishment (especially one with a fixed game))

shill (a decoy who acts as an enthusiastic customer in order to stimulate the participation of others)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Something used to lure fish or other animals into danger so they can be trapped or killed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

bait; decoy; lure

Hypernyms ("decoy" is a kind of...):

device (an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "decoy"):

chum (bait consisting of chopped fish and fish oils that are dumped overboard to attract fish)

fish lure; fisherman's lure ((angling) any bright artificial bait consisting of plastic or metal mounted with hooks and trimmed with feathers)

ground bait (bait scattered on the water to attract fish)

stool pigeon (a dummy pigeon used to decoy others)

Holonyms ("decoy" is a part of...):

trap (a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned)

Derivation:

decoy (lure or entrap with or as if with a decoy)

• DECOY (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they decoy    ... he / she / it decoys   
Past simple: decoyed   
Past participle: decoyed   
-ing form: decoying   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Lure or entrap with or as if with a decoy

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "decoy" is one way to...):

entice; lure; tempt (provoke someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises or persuasion)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

decoy (something used to lure fish or other animals into danger so they can be trapped or killed)

 Context examples 

It was the note with which Holmes had decoyed him.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He fell into the trap, and allowed himself to be decoyed to the place where these rascals were waiting for him.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

But, because there is so much more defective virus in the cells than genetically intact virus, these defective viruses act as a decoy and divert the immune system.

(HIV seeks refuge in immune cells to avoid full elimination, SciDev.Net)

It is thought that Flora decoyed my wife out and laid some terrible trap for her.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I looked over the paper, for I really did not know what he meant; but he took it from me and pointed out a paragraph about children being decoyed away at Hampstead.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Osteoprotegerin is a decoy receptor for RANK-ligand that suppresses osteoclast activity and bone remodeling, helping to maintain balanced bone remodeling.

(Bone Remodeling Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

The 3 RNA products produced by the lentilvirus are: a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeted to an exon of the HIV-1 genes tat/rev, designated as shI; a decoy for the HIV TAT reactive element, designated as TAR; a ribozyme targeting the host cells CCR5 chemokine receptor, designated as CCR5RZ.

(Lentivirus Vector rHIV7-shI-TAR-CCR5RZ-transduced Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells, NCI Thesaurus)

William was decoyed up and shot, and had they only got the whole of the note and paid a little more attention to detail in the accessories, it is very possible that suspicion might never have been aroused.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"It's a she-wolf," Henry whispered back, "an' that accounts for Fatty an' Frog. She's the decoy for the pack. She draws out the dog an' then all the rest pitches in an' eats 'm up."

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Encoded by human IL1R2 Gene (IL1R Family), 398-aa 45-kDa (precursor) Interleukin 1 Receptor Beta Type II is a type I membrane protein decoy cytokine receptor that contains 3 IgC2 domains and inhibits the activity of its ligands IL1A, IL1B, and IL1R1/IL1RA.

(Interleukin-1 Receptor Beta Type-II, NCI Thesaurus)