tempt — OET · Shobdo

tempt

verb

1 they were not able to tempt any investors to bankroll the organization:

entice, persuade, convince, inveigle, induce, cajole, coax, woo;

informal sweet-talk, smooth-talk.

▷antonyms discourage, deter, dissuade.

2 vegetarian dishes unusual enough to tempt even the staunchest of meat-eaters:

allure, attract, appeal to, whet the appetite of, make someone's mouth water;

lure, seduce, beguile, tantalize, intrigue, captivate, draw.

▷antonyms repel, put off.

□ tempt fate

to bale out at 250 feet was tempting fate:

run a risk, live dangerously, play with fire, sail close to the wind, risk it.

choose the right word

tempt, entice, lure

All these words are used of persuading someone to do something by offering them the prospect of something attractive.

■ Tempt can imply that the person being persuaded knows that the attractive thing is wrong or unwise (a large rucksack could tempt you to carry too much | a wealth of shops, bars, cafes, and restaurants have sprung up to tempt the visitor). In the passive, it often means simply ‘to be inclined’ (looking at the book one is tempted to ask what all the fuss is about). The participial adjective tempting is common (it's a very tempting offer).

■ Entice lacks the sense of persuading somone to do something that they know is wrong, and it typically has the sense of attracting someone in a particular direction (the new crossing might entice drivers back onto the motorway). It is often used in commercial or sexual contexts (rival ferry companies cut fares to entice cross-Channel shoppers | she was busy laying plans to entice him away from his steady girlfriend). The adjective enticing is common (this is an enticing introduction to the subject).

■ To lure someone is typically to persuade them to go somewhere (it would take more than Hollywood stardom to lure him away from his Sussex cottage), and often with bad intentions (he twice lured young women into his car).

tempt Oxford Dictionary of English