Meanings
verbseduce (third-person singular simple present seduces, present participle seducing, simple past and past participle seduced)
present singular third person seduces · participle present seducing · participle past seduced · past seduced
- transitiveTo beguile or lure (someone) away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray.First known use 1520s
Your father was seduced by the dark side of The Force.
1983, Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi2 more examples
[…] they alledged, That becauſe I had ſome Rudiments of Reaſon, added to the natural pravity of thoſe Animals, it was to be feared, I might be able to ſeduce them into the woody and mountainous parts of the Country, and bring them in Troops by night to deſtroy the Houyhnhnms Cattle, as being naturally of the ravenous kind, and averſe from Labour.
1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Author’s Oeconomy and Happy Life among the Houyhnhnms. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume II, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part IV (A Voyage to the Houyhnhnms), page 308As a parish priest in England he had dabbled in the black arts, seduced a number of his congregation from their faith and finally celebrated the Black Mass.
1965, Attila Zohar, Kings Cross Black Magic, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 30Synonyms: corrupt, lead astray, misguide, bribe, adulterate, corrupt, debauch, demoralize
- transitiveTo entice or induce (someone) to engage in a sexual relationship.First known use 1550s
She also approaches the fires, and seeks to seduce young men.
1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 1531 more example
"Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?" "Do you want me to seduce you?"
1967, Calder Willingham, Buck Henry, The Graduate - broadlyeuphemistictransitiveTo have sexual intercourse with.
He had repeatedly seduced the girl in his car, hotels and his home.
Synonyms: coitize, go to bed with, sleep with, Formal terms, bed, coit, coitize, dight
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo beguile or lure (someone) away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray.
verbTo entice or induce (someone) to engage in a sexual relationship.
verbTo have sexual intercourse with.
verbTo win over or attract.
More synonyms by meaning
verblure or entice away from duty, principles, or proper conduct
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Afrikaans liefkoos, verlei
- liefkoosto beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- verleito entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Ancient Greek ἀναπείθω, ἀποπλανῶ
- ἀναπείθω (anapeíthō)to beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- ἀποπλανῶ (apoplanô)to entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Arabic أَغْرَى, أَغْوَى
- أَغْرَى (ʔaḡrā)to entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- أَغْوَى (ʔaḡwā)to entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Basque limurtu, liluratu
- limurtuto entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- liluratuto entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Bulgarian съблазнявам, прелъстявам
- съблазнявам (săblaznjavam)to beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- прелъстявам (prelăstjavam)to entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Catalan seduir
- seduirto entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Chinese Mandarin 誘騙 /诱骗, 勾引
- 誘騙 /诱骗 (yòupiàn)to beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- 勾引 (gōuyǐn)to entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- 誘惑 /诱惑 (yòuhuò)to entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Czech svést, svádět
- svéstto beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- svádětto beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- svéstto entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- svádětto entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Danish forføre, forføre
- forføreto beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- forføreto entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- forføreto win over or attract someone
Dutch verleiden, versieren
- verleidento entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- versierento entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Esperanto amindumi
- amindumito beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
Finnish vietellä, viekoitella
- vietelläto beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- viekoitellato beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- houkutellato beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- vietelläto entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- viekoitellato entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- viedäto win over or attract someone
- vietelläto win over or attract someone
French séduire, séduire
- séduireto beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- séduireto entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- séduireto win over or attract someone
German verführen, verführen
- verführento beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- verführento entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- verleitento entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Greek γοητεύω, αποπλανώ
- γοητεύω (goïtévo)to beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- αποπλανώ (apoplanó)to entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Icelandic tæla, lokka
- tælato beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- lokkato beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- tælato entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Italian sedurre
- sedurreto win over or attract someone
Japanese 誘惑する
- 誘惑する (yūwaku-surú)to entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Latin sēdūcō
- sēdūcōto beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
Malay goda
- godato entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Māori whakawai, hīanga
- whakawaito beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- hīangato beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- whakakonukato beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- hīangato entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- whakawaito entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Norwegian Bokmål forlede, forføre
- forledeto beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- forføreto entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- forlokketo entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Polish uwodzić, uwieść
- uwodzićto entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- uwieśćto entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- uwodzićto win over or attract someone
- uwieśćto win over or attract someone
Portuguese seduzir, seduzir
- seduzirto beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- seduzirto entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- seduzirto win over or attract someone
Romanian seduce
- seduceto entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Russian прельща́ть, прельсти́ть
- прельща́ть (prelʹščátʹ)to beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- прельсти́ть (prelʹstítʹ)to beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- соблазня́ть (soblaznjátʹ)to entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- соблазни́ть (soblaznítʹ)to entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- обольща́ть (obolʹščátʹ)to entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- обольсти́ть (obolʹstítʹ)to entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- совраща́ть (sovraščátʹ)to entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- соврати́ть (sovratítʹ)to entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Spanish seducir, llevar al huerto
- seducirto entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- llevar al huertoto entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- llevarse al huertoto entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- seducirto win over or attract someone
Swedish förleda, förföra
- förledato beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
- förförato entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
- förledato entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
Ukrainian спокушати
- спокушати (spokušaty)to beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with seduce
usereduceabuseproducebruceintroducelooseexcusereproducereusegoosemisuseinducespruceRusdiffuseZeusdeucetrucelucemoussededuceoverusenoose
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
seduce. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seduce
MLA
“seduce.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seduce. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “seduce,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seduce.
Source: seduce on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.