I. də̇ˈkȯi, dēˈ-, ˈdēˌ- noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: probably from Dutch de kooi, literally, the cage, from de, masculine def. article (from Middle Dutch, akin to Old English thæt, neuter def. article) + kooi cage, from Middle Dutch cōie, from Latin cavea — more at that , cage
1. : a pond or pool having net-covered channels into which wild fowl (as ducks) are lured for capture
a vast game decoy used to provide sport for the local gentry — O.S.Nock
2. : something intended to allure or entice especially into a trap : lure
the commander of that sub … took us to be a decoy — H.A.Chippendale
specifically : an artificial bird used by hunters to attract live birds (as water fowl) within shot
3. : a person used as a lure:
a. : one employed especially by the police to induce a suspected person to commit an offense under circumstances that will lead to his detection
b. : one employed to lead another into a position where he may be swindled, robbed, or otherwise injured
II. ̷ ̷ˈ ̷ ̷ sometimes ˈdēˌ- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
: to lure by or as if by a decoy : allure , entice , entrap
the female bird … practiced the same arts upon us to decoy us away — John Burroughs
he had decoyed her … into holding him dearer than her own ambition — Victoria Sackville-West
intransitive verb
: to become lured by or as if by a decoy : fall into a trap
the wind was in the left front, so the old drake decoyed from the right rear — Handbook on Shotgun Shooting
Synonyms: see lure