decoy

noun
/ˈdiːkɔɪ/UK

Etymology

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

  1. derived from de + kooi

Definitions

  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…

    Deceptive military device used to draw enemy attention or fire away from a more important target.

    • 2002, Robotech: Battlecry – Guide and Walkthrough Just every 5 seconds or so shoot out a decoy near the Cats Eye and the enemies will aim for that instead of the Cats Eye.
  4. + 3 more definitions
    1. An assembly of hooped or netted corridors into which wild ducks may be enticed…

      An assembly of hooped or netted corridors into which wild ducks may be enticed (originally by tame ducks) and trapped.

    2. To lead into danger by artifice

      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
      • E'en while fashion's brightest arts decoy, / The heart, distrusting, asks if this be joy.
    3. To act as, or use, a decoy.

      • As they were being decoyed, the rescue team carried the hostage and quietly slipped away.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for decoy. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA