LEAD ON Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

lead on

verb

Definition of lead on

as in to tempt

to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage a con man whose dupes are usually led on by their own greed and eagerness to turn an easy buck

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for lead on

Verb

You might be tempted by that pair of puppy dog eyes in the pet store window.

— Jane Sykes, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Male guests might be tempted by their ‘Southern Gentleman’ package.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of tempt

Verb

The Sunday broadcast lured approximately 2 million viewers between the ages of 25 and 54 — the demographic most coveted by advertisers in news programming.

— Brian Steinberg, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
Eight months after pledging to attract more talent and capital to South Florida by luring world-class companies and universities to the region, two of the area’s wealthiest billionaires are putting that promise into action.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of lure

Verb

The second allows the devil to slide into his DMs, utilizing a seduce-and-destroy approach that will eventually lead to Sutskever becoming OpenAI’s resident Chicken Little and the tech industry’s conscientious objector.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
Artificial plays like a modern-day parable in which the trickster god seduces the innocent.

— E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of seduce

Verb

This line of defense didn’t persuade Sweeney, who reasoned that adding athletes with expired eligibility would mean more, not less, market competition.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026
The company’s reputation was built partly on persuading audiences to take chances on inexpensive, surprising horror outings — often with little more than a compelling premise to go on.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of persuade

Verb

As the midterms near, leaders across the party have been meeting with MAHA activists, discussing potential openings with consultants, and rolling out food and environmental agendas meant to entice these voters.

— Daniel Payne, STAT, 7 Oct. 2026
Caruso has been charged with kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse inflicting mental injury.

— Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of entice

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“Lead on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lead%20on. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of lead on

verb

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