Library / English Dictionary

DECOY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Synonyms:

bait; decoy; lure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

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)

Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Synonyms:

decoy; steerer

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

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)

 II. (verb) 

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)

Credits

 Context examples: 

How could they have decoyed him down there?

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

Upon administration, lentivirus vector rHIV7-shI-TAR-CCR5RZ-transduced hematopoietic progenitor cells expressing the 3 species of RNAs display 3 seperate mechanims of action: the shRNA blocks the transcription of tat/rev, the TAR decoy binds to the TAT protein that is essential for HIV replication, and CCR5RZ catalyzes CCR5 which is needed for viral attachment and entry into the host cells.

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

Only about five per cent of HIV is genetically intact and it hides in the effector memory T-cells while the rest act as a decoy and divert attention away from the “real” virus, the study says.

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

Now my theory all along has been that Lady St. Simon was decoyed away by Flora Millar, and that she, with confederates, no doubt, was responsible for her disappearance.

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