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tempt . In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
tempt , but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
tempt in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
tempt you have here. The definition of the word
tempt will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
tempt , as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
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 ” ) .
Pronunciation
Verb
tempt (third-person singular simple present tempts , present participle tempting , simple past and past participle tempted )
( transitive ) To provoke someone to do wrong , especially by promising a reward ; to entice .
Synonyms: entice , fand , lure , pander , tease
She tempted me to eat the apple.
1712 (date written), Addison , Cato, a Tragedy. , London: J Tonson , , published 1713 , →OCLC , Act I, scene i, page 2 :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.
1994 , Claire A. Culleton, Names and Naming in Joyce :Eveline 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 :
( transitive ) To attract ; to allure .
Synonyms: beguile , entrance ; see also Thesaurus:allure
Its glossy skin tempted me.
2008 , Popular Mechanics, How to Tempt a Fish: A Complete Guide to Fishing , page 20 :The next time you are trout fishing and none of your lures tempts the fish, smoke a spoon hook and cast it.
( transitive ) To provoke something; to court .
Synonyms: foment , urge ; see also Thesaurus:incite
It would be tempting fate.
Derived terms
Translations
to provoke someone to do wrong
Albanian: tundoj (sq)
Arabic: أَغْوَى ( ʔaḡwā ) , أَغْرَى ( ʔaḡrā )
Armenian: please add this translation if you can
Asturian: tentar
Bulgarian: изкушавам (bg) ( izkušavam )
Catalan: temptar (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
Danish: friste
Dutch: verleiden (nl)
Esperanto: tenti (eo)
Finnish: vietellä (fi) , viekoitella (fi)
French: tenter (fr)
Friulian: tentâ
Galician: tentar (gl)
Georgian: please add this translation if you can
German: in Versuchung führen , versuchen (de)
Greek:
Ancient: πειράζω ( peirázō )
Hebrew: פיתה (he) ( pitá ) , גירה (he) ( gerá )
Hungarian: kísért (hu) , megkísért (hu)
Icelandic: please add this translation if you can
Italian: tentare (it)
Japanese: 誘惑 する ( ゆうわく-する, yūwaku-suru )
Kapampangan: tuksu
Korean: please add this translation if you can
Latin: tentō
Latvian: kārdināt
Macedonian: соблазни ( soblazni )
Norwegian: friste
Plautdietsch: vesieekjen
Polish: kusić (pl)
Portuguese: tentar (pt)
Romanian: tenta (ro)
Russian: склоня́ть (ru) impf ( sklonjátʹ ) , склони́ть (ru) pf ( sklonítʹ ) , увещева́ть (ru) impf ( uveščevátʹ ) , подбива́ть (ru) impf ( podbivátʹ ) , подби́ть (ru) pf ( podbítʹ )
Sardinian: tenteare
Scottish Gaelic: buair
Spanish: tentar (es) , acodiciar (es) , acudiciar (es) ( disused )
Tagalog: tuksuhin
Telugu: ప్రేరేపించు (te) ( prērēpiñcu )
Thai: please add this translation if you can
Turkish: ayartmak (tr) , baştan çıkarmak (tr) , kanına girmek
Tuvaluan: fakaosooso
Ukrainian: схиляти, змушувати ( sxyljaty, zmušuvaty )
Venetan: tantar
Vietnamese: xui (vi) , xúi , xúi giục (vi)
Volapük: blufodön (vo)
to attract, allure
Arabic: أَغْرَى ( ʔaḡrā )
Bulgarian: съблазнявам (bg) ( sǎblaznjavam )
Catalan: temptar (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 吸引 (zh) ( xīyǐn ) , 誘惑 / 诱惑 (zh) ( yòuhuò )
Danish: lokke
Dutch: lokken (nl) , verlokken (nl)
Esperanto: tenti (eo)
Finnish: houkuttaa (fi)
French: attirer (fr)
German: locken (de)
Hungarian: csábít (hu) , csalogat (hu)
Italian: tentare (it)
Latvian: kārdināt
Maori: whakapoapoa
Norwegian: friste
Polish: nęcić (pl) impf
Portuguese: tentar (pt)
Romanian: ispiti (ro)
Russian: соблазня́ть (ru) impf ( soblaznjátʹ ) , соблазни́ть (ru) pf ( soblaznítʹ ) , искуша́ть (ru) impf ( iskušátʹ ) , искуси́ть (ru) pf ( iskusítʹ ) , прельща́ть (ru) impf ( prelʹščátʹ ) , прельсти́ть (ru) pf ( prelʹstítʹ )
Scottish Gaelic: buair
Spanish: tentar (es) , acodiciar (es) , acudiciar (es) ( disused )
Telugu: ఎర వేయు ( era vēyu )
Turkish: cezbetmek (tr)
Ukrainian: спокуша́ти ( spokušáty ) , прива́блювати ( pryvábljuvaty )
Volapük: bätön (vo)
Further reading
“tempt ”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary , Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam , 1913 , →OCLC .
William Dwight Whitney , Benjamin E Smith , editors (1911 ), “tempt ”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co. , →OCLC .
“tempt ”, in OneLook Dictionary Search .
Latvian
Verb
tempt (transitive , 1st conjugation , present tempju , temp , tempj , past tempu )
to gulp
to swill
to quaff
Conjugation