tempt
Definitions
To entice or attract someone to do something, especially something unwise or wrong
诱惑，引诱（去做某事，尤指不明智或错误的事）
To make someone want to have or do something appealing
使人想要；吸引
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedtempt is the bare root (Latin temptāre, 'to test, try, feel'). Its original sense was to put someone to the test — keep probing their willpower. When you test a person by dangling something attractive in front of them, testing slides into enticing. So tempt came to mean 'lure toward something (often unwise).' The old 'test' sense survives only in the fixed phrase tempt fate.
Root tempt still carries 6 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.tempt fate冒险；考验命运
- 2.tempt someone into诱使某人做……
- 3.be tempted to很想（做某事）
- 4.sorely tempted深受诱惑
Example Sentences
- 1.
Don't tempt me with dessert; I'm trying to lose weight.
- 2.
The high salary tempted her to leave her current job.
- 3.
He was tempted to skip the meeting and go home early.
- 4.
Driving without a seatbelt is really tempting fate.
Easily Confused
tempt vs entice — Both mean to attract someone, but tempt often carries a moral edge: it lures you toward something you probably shouldn't do (tempt me with cake). entice is more neutral and often about drawing someone in with a reward (entice customers with discounts). You tempt fate, not 'entice fate.'