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decoy

[dee-koi, dih-koi, dih-koi] / ˈdi kɔɪ, dɪˈkɔɪ, dɪˈkɔɪ /




Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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The president sent the decoy plane into the air with everyone inside.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 20, 2026

Left behind on the decoy plane were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and other administration officials and aides.

From Salon Aug. 17, 2026

The label "Air Force One" applies to any plane the president is on, but in this case the original craft kept the call signal, turning it into a decoy.

From BBC Aug. 12, 2026

Per the Times, though, the Secret Service has occasionally used decoy flights or motorcades to protect presidents.

From Slate Aug. 11, 2026

The man glanced round the garden, as if I might be a decoy.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

They stand free and unmarked, able to receive the ball under little pressure - but De Zerbi looks to use them as decoys rather than making this easier pass.

From BBC Aug. 22, 2026

Some traveling media expressed anger at having unwittingly served as decoys, while others complained about deception and lack of communication from the White House.

From Barron's Aug. 11, 2026

From there, he scrambled two convoys as decoys, then drove to the nearby coast as an Emirati drone kept watch overhead.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 20, 2026

Companies sell decoys, which trail planes or ships, sometimes looking like a missile, and emit signals to confuse adversaries into targeting it instead of its mother ship.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 7, 2026

“I took care of that and left behind some decoys to buy you some time to investigate.”

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

I sent him on a long scavenger hunt, then decoyed him in for a backhand drop and flicked it crosscourt into open space.

From The New Yorker Jan. 18, 2016

But then: "The tempter came, like the serpent of Eden, and decoyed them with the majic word of 'freedom.'"

From Time Apr. 7, 2011

Good guess: Natskakula had been decoyed back into the Western zone, then grabbed by Army intelligence operatives.

From Time Magazine Archive

A Mrs. Bevan who "decoyed" the aide got $25,000 and the Robinsons received $125,000, which the male Robin son paid over to the female, and started divorce proceedings.

From Time Magazine Archive

Many scientific men are decoyed on in the search for truth with a spell unknown to others: the anticipation of the results sometimes amounts to a passion.

From Meteorology or Weather Explained by J. G. M'Pherson

Duplicitous collectors have created a thriving ecosystem of stockpiling, hiding, and decoying that makes it well-nigh impossible to find a scooter in need of charging.

From Slate May 22, 2018

And more recently, at Thanksgiving, after I made a queen-high straight on the turn and raked in all the remaining chips, the wind wound up wrong for decoying geese at our favorite blind.

From Time Magazine Archive

This is especially true when you're rattling, calling, or decoying big game.

From Time Magazine Archive

Instead, he concentrates on controlling the boards, decoying enemy defenders, setting up teammates for open shots.

From Time Magazine Archive

Her gentle efforts to guide the hand of destiny, by decoying her master with fertile tricks or by reticent considerations these had not bean strong enough to be recognized in the despotism of fife.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White




Vocabulary lists containing decoy


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