Lure someone

[ichfrage]

The meaning of “lure” in Collins is

To lure someone means to trick them into a particular place or to trick them into doing something that they should not do.

Exemplary sentence

He lured her to his home and shot her with his father's gun.

They did not realize that they were being lured into a trap.

Accroding to the sentences, "lure" seems to be a bad word as “to trick” is not a good thing. But when I check more of the word, I also found the following sentences,

Wall Street was luring the young and ambitious

But the lure of fresh meat is more powerful

It seems that lure also could be used as a neutral word, and I could use it in either derogatory or neutral way?

Thanks.

 

[owlman5]

It seems that lure also could can be used as a neutral word, and I could can use it in either a derogatory or a neutral way?

Yes. The context will influence how readers perceive the word: 1. (negative) Leonard lured a neighbor into his basement so that he could kill her. 2. (positive) Sharon lured a feral cat into her car so that she could rescue it from starvation. 3. (positive or neutral) Ralph lured a large bass out of the weeds with his favorite bass plug.

 

[ichfrage]

Yes. The context will influence how readers perceive the word: 1. (negative) Leonard lured a neighbor into his basement so that he could kill her. 2. (positive) Sharon lured a feral cat into her car so that she could rescue it from starvation. 3. (positive or neutral) Ralph lured a large bass out of the weeds with his favorite bass plug.

Thanks

 

[PaulQ]

To lure someone means to trick them into a particular place or to trick them into doing something that they should not do.

No. To lure = to entice. The verb is neutral and may or may not involve deception.

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2023
lure - WordReference.com Dictionary of English
lure /lʊr/ n., v., lured, lur•ing.
v. [~ + object]

1. to attract or tempt:Can we lure you away from your present job?