Etymology From Dutch de + kooi, literally "the cage". Possibly related to verb coy (which itself may have been influenced by decoy).
1
A person or object meant to lure somebody into danger.
2
A real or fake animal used by hunters to lure game.
3
Deceptive military device used to draw enemy attention or fire away from a more important target.
2002, Robotech: Battlecry – Guide and Walkthrough Just every 5 seconds or so shoot out a decoy near the Cats Eye and the enemies will aim for that instead of the Cats Eye.
4
An assembly of hooped or netted corridors into which wild ducks may be enticed (originally by tame ducks) and trapped.
Etymology From Dutch de + kooi, literally "the cage". Possibly related to verb coy (which itself may have been influenced by decoy).
1
To lead into danger by artifice; to lure into a net or snare; to entrap.
to decoy troops into an ambush; to decoy ducks into a net
E'en while fashion's brightest arts decoy, / The heart, distrusting, asks if this be joy.1770, [Oliver] Goldsmith, The Deserted Village, a Poem, London: […] W[illiam] Griffin, […], →OCLC:
2
To act as, or use, a decoy.
As they were being decoyed, the rescue team carried the hostage and quietly slipped away.