decoy
noun
- fake military equipment intended to deceive the enemy
- person, device, or event meant as a distraction
verb
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L331363 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈdiːkɔɪ/
noun
Etymology: From Dutch de + kooi, literally "the cage". Possibly related to verb coy (which itself may have been influenced by decoy).
- A person or object meant to lure somebody into danger.
- A real or fake animal used by hunters to lure game.
- 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.”
- An assembly of hooped or netted corridors into which wild ducks may be enticed (originally by tame ducks) and trapped.
verb
Etymology: From Dutch de + kooi, literally "the cage". Possibly related to verb coy (which itself may have been influenced by decoy).
- 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.”
- To act as, or use, a decoy.
“As they were being decoyed, the rescue team carried the hostage and quietly slipped away.”