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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Tempt \Tempt\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Tempted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Tempting}.] [OE. tempten, tenten, from OF. tempter, tenter, F. tenter, fr. L. tentare, temptare, to handle, feel, attack, to try, put to the test, urge, freq. from tendere, tentum, and tensum, to stretch. See {Thin}, and cf. {Attempt}, {Tend}, {Taunt}, {Tent} a pavilion, {Tent} to probe.]
1. To put to trial; to prove; to test; to try.
God did tempt Abraham. --Gen. xxii. 1.
Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God. --Deut. vi. 16.
2. To lead, or endeavor to lead, into evil; to entice to what is wrong; to seduce.
Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. --James i. 14.
3. To endeavor to persuade; to induce; to invite; to incite; to provoke; to instigate.
Tempt not the brave and needy to despair. --Dryden.
Nor tempt the wrath of heaven's avenging Sire. --Pope.
4. To endeavor to accomplish or reach; to attempt.
Ere leave be given to tempt the nether skies. --Dryden.
Syn: To entice; allure; attract; decoy; seduce.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
tempt
verb
1: dispose or incline or entice to; "We were tempted by the delicious-looking food" [syn: {allure}]
2: provoke someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises or persuasion; "He lured me into temptation" [syn: {entice}, {lure}]
3: give rise to a desire by being attractive or inviting; "the window displays tempted the shoppers" [syn: {invite}]
4: induce into action by using one's charm; "She charmed him into giving her all his money" [syn: {charm}, {influence}]
5: try to seduce
6: try presumptuously; "St. Anthony was tempted in the desert"
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
64 Moby Thesaurus words for "tempt": allure, appeal, attract, bait, be attractive, becharm, beckon, bewitch, bring, cajole, captivate, carry, carry away, charm, coax, court, dare, decide, decoy, determine, dispose, draw in, draw on, enamor, endear, engage, enlist, enrapture, entice, entrap, fascinate, fetch, get to do, hold in thrall, incline, induce, infatuate, inflame with love, influence, interest, interest in, inveigle, invite, lead, lead on, lure, move, persuade, procure, prompt, provoke, rouse, seduce, solicit, summon, sway, tantalize, tease, tickle, titillate, train, vamp, whet the appetite, woo
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