tempt

tempt — verb

1. to persuade a person toward a choice they know is unwise, by making it seem appe

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to persuade a person toward a choice they know is unwise, by making it seem appealing or exciting.

Example

The fresh bread smell tempted Caio to stop at the bakery on his way home.

tempt + object + to-infinitive

Online ads often tempt shoppers into buying things they do not really need.

tempt + object + into + gerund

Common collocations
  • tempt someone with an offer
  • tempt someone into trouble
  • sorely tempted
  • easily tempted
Synonyms
  • lure

    stronger implication of tricking or trapping someone with a false promise

  • entice

    more neutral — suggests careful attraction without the moral judgement of 'tempt'

  • seduce

    often personal or romantic; carries a stronger sense of persuasion against better judgment

Antonyms
  • deter

    to discourage someone from doing something

  • repel

    to push someone away or make them not want something

Grammar Patterns

tempt + object + to-infinitive

tempt + object + into + noun/gerund

be tempted + by + noun

Usage Note

Object is typically a person. The tempting thing can be a concrete item (food, money) or an abstract situation (offer, opportunity). Frequently used in the passive when the focus is on the person feeling the desire.

Common Mistakes

The advertisement tempted me to buying it.
The advertisement tempted me to buy it.
After 'tempt + object,' use the base form of the verb (to-infinitive without 'to'), not a gerund.
The cake tempts me.' (when you just find it appealing)
The cake tempted me to take a slice.
'tempt' needs a context of persuasion toward an action; for simple appeal without a goal, use 'attract.'

2. to feel a strong wish to do or have something, particularly when you are aware i

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to feel a strong wish to do or have something, particularly when you are aware it may not be the wise choice.

Example

Astrid was tempted to quit her job after a very difficult week.

be tempted + to-infinitive

Sivan was tempted to buy the jacket, but the price was too high.

Common collocations
  • be sorely tempted
  • be strongly tempted
  • be tempted by the idea
  • be tempted to try
Synonyms
  • attract

    more neutral and general; does not carry the implication that the thing is unwise

  • appeal to

    focuses on the thing itself being enjoyable rather than the person's internal struggle

  • draw

    weaker than 'tempt'; suggests gentle attraction without moral conflict

Antonyms
  • resist

    to successfully avoid giving in to temptation

Grammar Patterns

be tempted + to-infinitive

be tempted + by + noun

be tempted + into + gerund

Usage Note

This sense nearly always uses the passive form 'be tempted' (acting as a stative adjective). The active 'tempt' in this sense would mean 'cause desire in someone else' — which belongs to sense 1. Compare: 'I am tempted to eat this' (sense 2, I feel desire) vs 'The cake tempts me' (sense 1, the cake is the agent).

Common Mistakes

I am tempting to eat the whole cake.
I am tempted to eat the whole cake.
When you mean you feel a desire, use the passive adjective form 'tempted,' not the active participle 'tempting.'

3. to behave too confidently and risk ruining your good luck — for example, by sayi

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to behave too confidently and risk ruining your good luck — for example, by saying something that seems to invite misfortune.

Example

By driving home after only two hours of sleep, Vikram was tempting fate.

tempt fate — risk from overconfidence

Saying that you have never been in an accident can tempt providence.

tempt providence — fixed phrase

Common collocations
  • tempt fate
  • tempt providence
  • tempt luck
  • tempt the gods
Synonyms
  • risk

    more general — does not carry the superstitious 'challenging luck' nuance

  • dare

    focuses on personal courage rather than challenging luck

  • invite trouble

    an idiom with a similar meaning but a wider range of objects

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

tempt + fate

tempt + providence

tempt + luck

Usage Note

This sense is restricted to a small set of fixed expressions: 'tempt fate,' 'tempt providence,' and less commonly 'tempt luck' or 'tempt the gods.' The object cannot be freely chosen — you cannot 'tempt danger' or 'tempt the weather.' The passive form is also not used: 'fate was tempted by him' is incorrect.

Common Mistakes

He tempted the weather by going out without a coat.
He was tempting fate by going out without a coat in January.
The fixed object is 'fate' (or 'providence'), not 'the weather' or other free-choice nouns.
Fate was tempted by the hikers.
The hikers tempted fate.
This phrase cannot be used in the passive voice.
Idioms

tempt fate/providence

idiom

To take a risk by being too confident, which might cause bad luck.

Maya decided not to tempt fate by driving without a seatbelt.

Is it tempting fate to leave your umbrella at home on a cloudy day?

Word family

  • temptation
    nounB1
  • tempting
    adjectiveB1
  • tempted
    adjectiveB1
  • temptingly
    adverbC1
  • tempter
    nounC1
  • temptress
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

While all four words involve drawing someone toward something, 'tempt' (sense 1) carries a moral warning — the thing is unwise or forbidden. 'Lure' is stronger and more manipulative, often suggesting a trap or deception: a predator lures its prey. 'Entice' is more neutral and delicate, used when something is genuinely appealing without the moral shade of 'tempt' (e.g. a shop window entices customers inside). 'Seduce' is more personal and gradual, commonly in romantic or persuasive contexts. 'Attract' is the broadest and most neutral — it simply means to draw interest without any implication of wrongness. For example, a discount might tempt you into overspending, lure you with a false deadline, entice you with quality, seduce you through clever advertising, or simply attract your attention.

lure ↗entice ↗seduceattract ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • sorely tempted
  • easily tempted
  • strongly tempted
  • greatly tempted
  • briefly tempted

Phrases

Prepositions

  • tempt into
  • tempt by
  • tempt with
  • tempt from

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'tempt' entered English through Old French 'tempter,' from Latin 'temptare' (to feel, test, try). The Latin root later merged with 'tentare' (to handle, try), and the sense shifted from physically testing something to testing a person's willpower or morality — leading to the modern meaning of persuading someone toward something unwise.