tempted; tempting; tempts
1
: to entice to do wrong by promise of pleasure or gain
2
a
: to induce to do something
b
: to cause to be strongly inclined
was tempted to call it quits
Examples of tempt in a Sentence
that chocolate dessert sure tempts me, but I should stick with my diet refusing to lay in enough food for the long winter tempts the dangers of starvation
Recent Examples on the Web
You’d have been tempted to say it was meant to be. —
Phil Hay, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026 Sports betting can tempt athletes to manipulate games or lead them to face harassment from gamblers upset with their performance. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 27 Apr. 2026 Alternatively, you may be tempted to toss items that could have some monetary value. —Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Apr. 2026 Blumhouse-Atomic Monster CMO Karen Barragan closed with a caution for anyone tempted to get ahead of themselves. —Kennedy French, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tempt
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Phil Hay, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026 Sports betting can tempt athletes to manipulate games or lead them to face harassment from gamblers upset with their performance. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 27 Apr. 2026 Alternatively, you may be tempted to toss items that could have some monetary value. —Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Apr. 2026 Blumhouse-Atomic Monster CMO Karen Barragan closed with a caution for anyone tempted to get ahead of themselves. —Kennedy French, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tempt
Cite this Entry
“Tempt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/tempt. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tempt
verb
1
: to persuade or try to persuade to do wrong by promise of pleasure or gain
2
: to risk the dangers of
tempt fate
3
a
: to get to do something
tempted her to taste the cake
b
: to cause to have a certain feeling
was tempted to quit
tempter noun
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