English edit

Etymology edit

From Dutch de +‎ kooi, literally "the cage". Possibly related to verb coy (which itself may have been influenced by decoy).

Pronunciation edit

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈdiːkɔɪ/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -iːkɔɪ

Noun edit

decoy (plural decoys)

  1. A person or object meant to lure somebody into danger.
  2. A real or fake animal used by hunters to lure game.
  3. Deceptive military device used to draw enemy attention or fire away from a more important target.
  4. An assembly of hooped or netted corridors into which wild ducks may be enticed (originally by tame ducks) and trapped.

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

Verb edit

decoy (third-person singular simple present decoys, present participle decoying, simple past and past participle decoyed)

  1. (transitive) To lead into danger by artifice; to lure into a net or snare; to entrap.
    to decoy troops into an ambush; to decoy ducks into a net
  2. (intransitive) To act as, or use, a decoy. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

See also edit

Anagrams edit