to entice or allure to do something often regarded as unwise, wrong, or immoral.
to attract, appeal strongly to, or invite: The offer tempts me.
to render strongly disposed to do something: The book tempted me to read more on the subject.
to put (someone) to the test in a venturesome way; provoke: to tempt one's fate.
Obsolete. to try or test.
Origin of tempt
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English from Latin temptāre “to probe, feel, test, tempt”
SYNONYMS FOR tempt
2 inveigle, induce, lure, incite, persuade.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR tempt ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for tempt
1. Tempt,seduce may both mean to allure or entice to something unwise or wicked. To tempt is to attract by holding out the probability of gratification or advantage, often in the direction of that which is wrong or unwise: to tempt a man with a bribe. To seduce is literally to lead astray, sometimes from that which absorbs one or demands attention, but oftener, in a moral sense, from rectitude, chastity, etc.: to seduce a person away from loyalty.
OTHER WORDS FROM tempt
tempt·a·ble,adjectivepre·tempt,verb (used with object)self-tempted,adjectivesu·per·tempt,verb (used with object)
un·tempt·a·ble,adjectiveun·tempt·ed,adjective
Words nearby tempt
temporoparietal muscle, tempostabile, temps, temps levé, temps lié, tempt, temptation, tempter, tempt fate, tempting, temptress
That’s bad news, and receiving it might understandably tempt you to sign up for one of those genetic tests that promises to tell you how you’ll respond to exercise.
Why Altitude Training Helps Some but Not Others|Alex Hutchinson|September 11, 2020|Outside Online
While you may be tempted to cut costs in an area like website hosting, I strongly advise against doing so.
Why site speed is critical for your SEO success and how to make it happen|Anthony Gaenzle|September 4, 2020|Search Engine Watch
Witnessing a hazy summertime sky in Los Angeles, you might be tempted to blame the cars and trucks that teem on the region’s roadways.
City pavement is a big source of air pollution|Ula Chrobak|September 3, 2020|Popular Science
There are currently no ad formats available on Reels, which could prove a key early point of differentiation with TikTok as Instagram looks to tempt over its users.
‘Building up a community first’: Instagram Reels has little on offer for advertisers — for now|Lara O'Reilly|August 6, 2020|Digiday
He says certain books, and even scary Halloween horror movies, tempt people to the devil.
Pope Francis Gives Blessing to Exorcist Conference|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Small things about every day that tempt people, we wanted to find out what they were.
Michael B. Jordan: Playing a Black Superhero in 'Fantastic Four' Is a 'Huge Responsibility'|Kevin Fallon|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You can never know who can become a spy for the enemy if you have enough means to pressure him, to blackmail him, to tempt him.
When the Son of Hamas Spied for Israel|Nina Strochlic|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hoping to tempt her back into writing, her agent suggested that she and her husband collaborate on a book in his genre.
Isabel Allende’s Controversial New Thriller|Jane Ciabattari|February 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Fearful lest curiosity might tempt me to open it, I had never even looked at it in book-stores.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But, happily, this fearful art exists no more to tempt and destroy?
Lucretia, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Many a patient can eat, if you can only "tempt his appetite."
Notes on Nursing|Florence Nightingale
"And yet you tempt weaker men by your nice cakes," exclaimed the doctor, who had just arrived.
A Bottle in the Smoke|Milne Rae
When the revolutionary storm commenced he dared to brave its fury and tempt the bosses of its foaming surges.
Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution|L. Carroll Judson
But she is undoubtedly an agent-provocateuse of police set to tempt men to their downfall.
The Minister of Evil|William Le Queux
British Dictionary definitions for tempt
tempt
/ (tɛmpt) /
verb(tr)
to attempt to persuade or entice to do something, esp something morally wrong or unwise
to allure, invite, or attract
to give rise to a desire in (someone) to do something; disposetheir unfriendliness tempted me to leave the party
to risk provoking (esp in the phrase tempt fate)
Derived forms of tempt
temptable, adjectivetempter, noun
Word Origin for tempt
C13: from Old French tempter, from Latin temptāre to test