tempt
gb/tˈɛmpt/ us/tˈɛmpt/
B2
English
~ 7700
csábít, rávesz, csalogat, kísérteni a sorsot
VERB
B2
1
Usage pattern:
to tempt [someone] to [do something]
He tried to tempt her to reveal the confidential information.
Megpróbálta arra csábítani, hogy felfedje a bizalmas információkat.
The older boys tempted him into skipping school for the day.
Az idősebb fiúk rávették, hogy aznap lógjon az iskolából.
Nothing could tempt her to lie to her best friend.
The promise of easy money tempted him to join the scam.
They were tempted into breaking the rules by their competitive rivals.
Learner examples
His friends tempted him to drink too much.
A barátai arra csábították, hogy túl sokat igyon.
The man tried to tempt the child to go with him.
A férfi megpróbálta rávenni a gyereket, hogy menjen vele.
Money tempted her to make a bad choice.
The cheap price tempted him to buy the fake phone.
She did not let them tempt her to cheat on the test.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'tempt' for any kind of encouragement, even when the action is clearly good (e.g., *'She tempted me to study.'*). In this sense, 'tempt' usually suggests that the action may be wrong, risky, or against your better judgment. For neutral or positive actions, 'encourage' or 'persuade' is usually better.
Meaning
try to lead someone into wrong
Collocations
tempt someone to do [something]
|tempt someone into [doing something]
|tempt someone away from [something]
|try to tempt someone
|strongly tempt someone
Synonyms
entice (Focuses on making something seem attractive; does not always imply that the action is wrong.)
|
lure (Suggests drawing someone into a bad or dangerous situation, often by trickery.)
|
seduce (Often used for sexual or moral wrongdoing and can sound stronger or more dramatic than 'tempt'.)
Antonyms
dissuade (Means to persuade someone not to do something, the opposite of trying to lead them into it.)
|
discourage (Means to make someone less willing to do something, instead of pushing them toward it.)
Themes
morality
|emotions
|daily life
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To try to make someone do something bad or not wise by making it look good.
To try to persuade someone to do something that they believe is wrong, unwise, or against their better judgment, especially by making it seem attractive.
VERB
B2
2
Usage pattern:
to tempt [someone] with [something]
The advertisement is designed to tempt young people with images of a glamorous lifestyle.
A reklám célja, hogy fényűző életstílust ábrázoló képekkel csábítsa a fiatalokat.
The smell of fresh bread tempted him into the bakery.
A friss kenyér illata becsábította a pékségbe.
We were tempted by the idea of moving to the countryside.
The low price tempted her to upgrade to a larger car.
Nothing on the menu really tempted me, so I just ordered a salad.
Learner examples
The cake in the window tempted me.
A kirakatban lévő torta nagyon csábított.
The store tried to tempt customers with big sales.
Az üzlet nagy leárazásokkal próbálta csábítani a vásárlókat.
His offer tempted me to change jobs.
I was tempted by the chance to travel for free.
The warm bed tempted her to stay at home.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *'I tempted to...'*. The correct form is usually passive: 'I am tempted to...' or 'I was tempted to...' when talking about your own feeling of desire. 'Tempt' in the active voice normally takes an object: 'The cake tempted me.'
Meaning
make something hard to resist
Collocations
tempt someone with [something]
|tempt someone to buy [something]
|tempt customers
|highly tempt someone
|tempt someone away from a rival
Synonyms
attract (A general word for drawing interest; less about strong desire than 'tempt'.)
|
entice (Very close in meaning; often used in marketing or sales contexts to stress making something appealing.)
|
temptation (noun: 'be a temptation') (The related noun naming the thing that causes the desire.)
Antonyms
repel (Means to push someone away or make them feel disgust, the opposite of making something appealing.)
|
put off (Informal; means to make someone not want something anymore.)
Themes
daily life
|emotions
|business
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To make someone really want something because it looks or feels very good.
To make someone strongly want to have or do something pleasant or attractive, whether or not it is actually wrong or unwise.
VERB
C1
3
Usage pattern:
to tempt [fate/providence/the gods]
Driving on bald tires in a snowstorm is really tempting fate.
Aki hóviharban kopott gumikkal vezet, az tényleg kísérti a sorsot.
He decided not to tempt fate by commenting on how smoothly the project was going.
Úgy döntött, nem kísérti a sorsot azzal, hogy megjegyzi, milyen simán halad a projekt.
Publishing the results before double-checking them would be tempting providence.
She felt that crossing the weak bridge would be tempting the gods.
We had one safe landing already; let's not tempt fate by going up again in this weather.
Learner examples
He did not want to tempt fate, so he checked the door twice.
Nem akarta kísérteni a sorsot, ezért kétszer is ellenőrizte az ajtót.
Saying the game is won too early can tempt fate.
Ha túl korán kijelentjük, hogy a meccset már megnyertük, azzal kísértjük a sorsot.
Driving too fast on ice is tempting fate.
She thought it would tempt fate to joke about accidents on the plane.
They felt they would tempt fate if they ignored the safety rules.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes try to use this meaning with normal objects, e.g., *'He tempted the exam.'* This sense is normally used only in fixed expressions like 'tempt fate', 'tempt providence', or 'tempt the gods', and not with everyday objects.
Meaning
risk provoking bad luck or harm
Collocations
tempt fate
|tempt providence
|tempt the gods
|really tempt fate
|refuse to tempt fate
Synonyms
risk (A general word; does not include the idea of 'challenging luck' as strongly as 'tempt fate'.)
|
court disaster (Idiomatic; strongly suggests foolishly inviting something very bad to happen.)
Antonyms
play it safe (Means to avoid risk, the opposite of doing something that might provoke bad luck or harm.)
|
be cautious (Focuses on careful behavior instead of challenging or testing one's luck.)
Themes
daily life
|risk
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To do something that may cause bad luck or trouble, especially when you do not need to take that risk.
To act in a way that unnecessarily risks causing a bad or unlucky result, especially mentioned in fixed expressions like “tempt fate”.
Grammar
Dictionary form
tempt
IPA
GB/tˈɛmpt/
US/tˈɛmpt/
Syllables & stress
tempt (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (tempt)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: tempt
- 3rd Person Singular: tempts
- Present Participle: tempting
- Past: tempted
Word family
Forms
tempts
verb
tempting
verb
tempted
verb
Core family
temptation
noun B1
Related words
temptingly
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
untempting
adjective
Advanced or less common
tempter
noun
Expressions
be tempted to
1/bˈi tˈɛmptɪd tə/
fixed phrase
feel like doing something unwise
To feel a strong wish to do something, often something you think might be bad or not a good idea.
Examples
- I'm really tempted to quit my job and travel for a year.
- She was tempted to lie, but in the end she told the truth.
- You might be tempted to skip the safety check, but it's important.
tempt someone into
1/tˈɛmpt sˈʌmwˌʌn ˈɪntu/
fixed phrase
lead someone into an action
To make a person do something by making that thing look very good or fun.
Examples
- The company tried to tempt students into signing long contracts with free gifts.
- Her friends tempted her into staying out much later than she planned.
- The bright lights of the city tempted him into spending all his savings.
tempt fate
1/tˈɛmpt fˈeɪt/
idiom
take a foolish or needless risk
To do something risky or careless that might cause bad luck or trouble, especially when you do not need to take that risk.
Examples
- We’ve had no delays so far, so let’s not tempt fate by changing the schedule now.
- He refused to drive in the snow again, saying he didn't want to tempt fate twice in one night.
- He knew he was tempting fate by driving home after drinking.
- Leaving your bag open on a busy train is just tempting fate.
- Announcing victory before the final result would be tempting fate.
- They were already late, so stopping for coffee felt like tempting fate.