Meanings
present singular third person tempts · participle present tempting · participle past tempted · past tempted
- transitiveTo provoke someone to do wrong, especially by promising a reward; to entice.
She tempted me to eat the apple.
2 more examples
By Heav’ns, ſuch Virtues, join’d with ſuch Succeſs, Diſtract my very Soul: Our Father’s Fortune Wou’d almoſt tempt us to renounce his Precepts.
1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2Eveline Hill, the protagonist of the Dubliners story "Eveline," for example, successfully extricates herself from the confines of her "Eve" name since, like her nameling in the Garden of Eden who was tempted by promises of knowledge, Eveline, too, is tempted: […]
1994, Claire A. Culleton, Names and Naming in Joyce - transitiveTo attract; to allure.
Its glossy skin tempted me.
1 more example
The next time you are trout fishing and none of your lures tempts the fish, smoke a spoon hook and cast it.
2008, Popular Mechanics, How to Tempt a Fish: A Complete Guide to Fishing, page 20Synonyms: beguile, entrance, allure, arrest, attract, becharm, beguile, bewitch
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo provoke someone to do wrong, especially by promising a reward; to entice.
verbTo attract; to allure.
verbTo provoke something; to court.
More synonyms by meaning
verbprovoke someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises or persuasion
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latintemptare
- Old Frenchtempter
- Middle Englishtempten
- Englishtempt
From Middle English tempten, from Old French tempter (French: tenter), from Latin temptare, from tentare (“to handle, touch, try, test, tempt”), frequentative of tendere (“to stretch”). Displaced native English costning (“temptation”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek πειράζω
- πειράζω (peirázō)to provoke someone to do wrong
Arabic أَغْوَى, أَغْرَى
- أَغْوَى (ʔaḡwā)to provoke someone to do wrong
- أَغْرَى (ʔaḡrā)to provoke someone to do wrong
- أَغْرَى (ʔaḡrā)to attract, allure
Bulgarian изкушавам, съблазнявам
- изкушавам (izkušavam)to provoke someone to do wrong
- съблазнявам (săblaznjavam)to attract, allure
- провокирам (provokiram)to provoke
Catalan temptar, temptar
- temptarto provoke someone to do wrong
- temptarto attract, allure
- temptarto provoke
Chinese Mandarin 吸引, 誘惑 /诱惑
- 吸引 (xīyǐn)to attract, allure
- 誘惑 /诱惑 (yòuhuò)to attract, allure
Danish friste, lokke
- fristeto provoke someone to do wrong
- lokketo attract, allure
Dutch verleiden, lokken
- verleidento provoke someone to do wrong
- lokkento attract, allure
- verlokkento attract, allure
- uitlokkento provoke
Esperanto tenti, tenti
- tentito provoke someone to do wrong
- tentito attract, allure
Finnish vietellä, viekoitella
- vietelläto provoke someone to do wrong
- viekoitellato provoke someone to do wrong
- houkuttaato attract, allure
- härnätäto provoke
French tenter, attirer
- tenterto provoke someone to do wrong
- attirerto attract, allure
German in Versuchung führen, versuchen
- in Versuchung führento provoke someone to do wrong
- versuchento provoke someone to do wrong
- lockento attract, allure
Hebrew פיתה, גירה
- פיתה (pitá)to provoke someone to do wrong
- גירה (gerá)to provoke someone to do wrong
Hungarian kísért, megkísért
- kísértto provoke someone to do wrong
- megkísértto provoke someone to do wrong
- csábítto attract, allure
- csalogatto attract, allure
- kísértto provoke
- kihívto provoke
Italian tentare, tentare
- tentareto provoke someone to do wrong
- tentareto attract, allure
Japanese 誘惑する
- 誘惑する (yūwaku-suru)to provoke someone to do wrong
Latin tentō
- tentōto provoke someone to do wrong
Latvian kārdināt, kārdināt
- kārdinātto provoke someone to do wrong
- kārdinātto attract, allure
Māori whakapoapoa
- whakapoapoato attract, allure
Norwegian friste, friste
- fristeto provoke someone to do wrong
- fristeto attract, allure
Polish kusić, skusić
- kusićto provoke someone to do wrong
- skusićto provoke someone to do wrong
- nęcićto attract, allure
- znęcićto attract, allure
- judzićto provoke
- podjudzićto provoke
Portuguese tentar, tentar
- tentarto provoke someone to do wrong
- tentarto attract, allure
Romanian tenta, ispiti
- tentato provoke someone to do wrong
- ispitito attract, allure
Russian склоня́ть, склони́ть
- склоня́ть (sklonjátʹ)to provoke someone to do wrong
- склони́ть (sklonítʹ)to provoke someone to do wrong
- увещева́ть (uveščevátʹ)to provoke someone to do wrong
- подбива́ть (podbivátʹ)to provoke someone to do wrong
- подби́ть (podbítʹ)to provoke someone to do wrong
- соблазня́ть (soblaznjátʹ)to attract, allure
- соблазни́ть (soblaznítʹ)to attract, allure
- искуша́ть (iskušátʹ)to attract, allure
- искуси́ть (iskusítʹ)to attract, allure
- прельща́ть (prelʹščátʹ)to attract, allure
- прельсти́ть (prelʹstítʹ)to attract, allure
- провоци́ровать (provocírovatʹ)to provoke
Scottish Gaelic buair, buair
- buairto provoke someone to do wrong
- buairto attract, allure
- buairto provoke
Spanish tentar, acodiciar
- tentarto provoke someone to do wrong
- acodiciarto provoke someone to do wrong
- acudiciarto provoke someone to do wrong
- tentarto attract, allure
- acodiciarto attract, allure
- acudiciarto attract, allure
Tagalog tuksuhin
- tuksuhinto provoke someone to do wrong
Turkish ayartmak, baştan çıkarmak
- ayartmakto provoke someone to do wrong
- baştan çıkarmakto provoke someone to do wrong
- kanına girmekto provoke someone to do wrong
- cezbetmekto attract, allure
- kışkırtmakto provoke
Ukrainian схиляти, змушувати, спокуша́ти
- схиляти, змушувати (sxyljaty, zmušuvaty)to provoke someone to do wrong
- спокуша́ти (spokušáty)to attract, allure
- прива́блювати (pryvábljuvaty)to attract, allure
Vietnamese xui, xúi
- xuito provoke someone to do wrong
- xúito provoke someone to do wrong
- xúi giụcto provoke someone to do wrong
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with tempt
All rhymes →Cite this entry
tempt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tempt
“tempt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tempt. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tempt,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tempt.
Source: tempt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.