Definitions for tempt
tɛmpttempt

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. tempt, allureverb

   dispose or incline or entice to

   "We were tempted by the delicious-looking food"

2. entice, lure, temptverb

   provoke someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises or persuasion

   "He lured me into temptation"

3. tempt, inviteverb

   give rise to a desire by being attractive or inviting

   "the window displays tempted the shoppers"

4. charm, influence, temptverb

   induce into action by using one's charm

   "She charmed him into giving her all his money"

5. temptverb

   try to seduce

6. temptverb

   try presumptuously

   "St. Anthony was tempted in the desert"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. temptverb

   To provoke someone to do wrong, especially by promising a reward; to entice.

   She tempted me to eat the apple.

2. temptverb

   To attract; to allure.

   Its glossy skin tempted me.

3. temptverb

   To provoke something; to court.

   It would be tempting fate.

4. Etymology: From tempter (French: tenter), from temptare, more correctly tentare, frequentative of tenere.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To Temptverb

   Etymology: tento, Lat. tenter, Fr.

   1. To sollicit to ill; to incite by presenting some pleasure or advantage to the mind; to entice.

   ’Tis not the king that sends you to the Tower:
   My lady Gray tempts him to this harsh extremity. William Shakespeare.

   You ever gentle gods, take my breath from me;
   Let not my worser spirit tempt me again
   To die before you please. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

   Come together, that Satan tempt you not. 1 Cor. vii. 5.

   He that hath not wholly subdued himself, is quickly tempted and overcome in small things. Jeremy Taylor.

   Fix’d on the fruit she gaz’d, which to behold
   Might tempt alone. John Milton.

   The devil can but tempt and deceive; and if he cannot destroy so, his power is at an end. South.

   O wretched maid!
   Whose roving fancy would resolve the same
   With him, who next should tempt her easy fame. Matthew Prior.

   2. To provoke.

   I’m much too vent’rous
   In tempting of your patience. William Shakespeare, Henry VIII.

   With-hold
   Your talons from the wretched and the bold;
   Tempt not the brave and needy to despair:
   For, though your violence shou’d leave ’em bare
   Of gold and silver, swords and darts remain. Dryden.

   3. It is sometimes used without any notion of evil; to sollicit; to draw.

   Still his strength conceal’d
   Which tempted our attempt, and wrought our fall. John Milton.

   The rowing crew,
   To tempt a fare, clothe all their tilts in blue. John Gay.

   4. To try; to attempt.

   This from the vulgar branches must be torn,
   And to fair Proserpine the present born,
   Ere leave be giv’n to tempt the nether skies. Dryden.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Tempt

   Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals. In the context of some religions, temptation is the inclination to sin. Temptation also describes the coaxing or inducing a person into committing such an act, by manipulation or otherwise of curiosity, desire or fear of loss something important to a person. In the context of self-control and ego depletion, temptation is described as an immediate, pleasurable urge and/or impulse that disrupts an individuals ability to wait for the long-term goals, in which that individual hopes to attain.More informally, temptation may be used to mean "the state of being attracted and enticed" without anything to do with moral, ethical, or ideological valuation; for example, one may say that a piece of food looks "tempting" even though eating it would result in no negative consequences. Research suggests that there are paradoxical effects associated with temptation. Implicit in all the forms in which temptation can present itself there is a set of options that may facilitate high moral standards in decision-making. Weak or subtle temptations, in comparison to strong or obvious temptations, can lead to a greater loss of self-control. supported research states that "available temptations are less valuable and less tempting".Temptations can have effects on long-term goal attainment, it has been found that individuals who experienced temptation and the effects of it found there were benefits to their experiences.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. tempt

   To tempt is to entice or try to persuade someone into doing or engaging in something, often seen as inappropriate, immoral, or risky, by making it seem attractive or exciting. It could also mean to provoke or test someone, sometimes putting their willpower or self-control to challenge.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. Temptverb

   to put to trial; to prove; to test; to try

2. Temptverb

   to lead, or endeavor to lead, into evil; to entice to what is wrong; to seduce

3. Temptverb

   to endeavor to persuade; to induce; to invite; to incite; to provoke; to instigate

4. Temptverb

   to endeavor to accomplish or reach; to attempt

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Tempt

   temt, v.t. to put to trial: to test: to try to persuade, esp. to evil: to entice.—adj. Temp′table.—ns. Temp′tableness; Temptā′tion, act of tempting: state of being tempted: that which tempts: enticement to evil: trial.—adj. Temptā′tious, seductive.—n. Temp′ter, one who tempts, esp. the devil:—fem. Temp′tress.—adj. Temp′ting, adapted to tempt or entice.—adv. Temp′tingly.—n. Temp′tingness. [O. Fr. tempter (Fr. tenter)—L. tentāre, an inten. of tendĕre, to stretch.]

Matched Categories

1. • Arouse
   • Invite
   • Persuade
   • Provoke
   • Stimulate

British National Corpus

1. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'tempt' in Verbs Frequency: #837

How to pronounce tempt?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say tempt in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of tempt in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of tempt in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of tempt in a Sentence

1. J. Hawes:

   He that cannot decidedly say, "No," when tempted to evil, is on the highway to ruin. He loses the respect even of those who would tempt him, and becomes but the pliant tool and victim of their evil designs.

2. Sir Thomas More:

   Nay, tempt me not to love again: There was a time when love was sweet; Dear Nea! had I known thee then, Our souls had not been slow to meet! But oh! this weary heart hath run So many a time the rounds of pain, Not even for thee, thou lovely one! Would I endure such pangs again.

3. Ralph Waldo Emerson:

   Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.

4. Patricia McCoy:

   Fast forward five years, and two of those banks – Silicon Valley and Signature Bank – failed due to lack of liquidity and possible undercapitalization, their failures destabilized the financial system in the process and caused federal banking regulators to take measures (such as insuring all the deposits at the two failed banks) that will tempt banks to bet on even bigger risks in the future.

5. Hillary Clinton:

   Don't tempt me. Do your job.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=tempt
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Tempt
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=tempt
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempt
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tempt
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=tempt