temptationtemp‧ta‧tion /tempˈteɪʃən/ ●●○ noun [countable, uncountable] 
There might be a temptation to cheat if students sit too close together. Resist the temptation to buy the item until you’re certain you need it. I finally gave in to the temptation and had a cigarette.2something that makes you want to have or do something, even though you know you should not: Selling alcohol at truck stops is an unnecessary temptation for drivers.COLLOCATIONSverbsresist the temptation to do something· If you feel hungry during the day, resist the temptation to eat chocolate.give in to temptation (=do what you feel you want to do)· Be strong – don’t give in to temptation.succumb/yield to temptation formal (=give in to temptation)· Lorna succumbed to temptation and ordered the apple pie.avoid the temptation to do something· Avoid the temptation to cheat.there is a temptation to do something· There is also the temptation to pay for the whole thing with a credit card.adjectivesgreat/strong· There is a strong temptation to ignore all the potential problems.· The temptation was too great for her to resist.overwhelming· He felt an overwhelming temptation to kiss her.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- I finally gave in to temptation and ate a huge piece of cheesecake.
- In the end, he gave in to temptation, and lit his first cigarette in five days.
- Life in New York has so many temptations.
- Resist the temptation to get involved. After all, it's not your problem.
- She thought of taking a day off work, but resisted the temptation.
- There is always a temptation to blame others for your own problems.
- When life was hard, the temptation to start drinking again was strong.
- If such ideas were to spread, his own slaves might find them too great a temptation to resist.
- In fact, one temptation in writing a management book is to quote Drucker on every other page.
- In this way, she reasoned, he would be removed from the temptations of the city.
- The church should resist the temptation to merely tick over.
- The point is repeated in several scenes of temptation.
- Yet the temptation to use the Games for political purposes remains irresistible.
Longman Language Activatorsomething that attracts people
the quality that something has, which makes people like it, want it, or feel interested in it. Attraction is also used about places or things to do that people like, find interesting, or want to visit: · A lot of young people take drugs. Personally, I can't see the attraction.attraction of: · For many mothers, one of the attractions of childcare in the workplace is the chance to be near their children.a tourist attraction: · The Galapagos Islands are one of Ecuador's main tourist attractions.
a quality that someone or something has that makes people like it, want it, or feel interested in it: · Much of Corfu's appeal lies in its lively night life.· Fink writes with eloquence about the appeal of the Jewish faith for her. · The film is flawed, although it has a certain nostalgic appeal.have popular/universal/mass appeal (=be interesting to most people): · While animation has universal appeal, audiences have become increasingly insistent on high standards.
a strongly attractive quality that makes you want something very much, even though you know it may be bad for you: · It's hard to escape the lure of credit cards and the access they provide.· In public housing projects, the lure of gangs is strong for teenagers.· I tried hard to settle down, but the lure of travel and adventure was too much for me.
something that makes you want to do or have something, even though you know you should not: · Life in New York has so many temptations.temptation to do something: · When life was hard, the temptation to start drinking again was strong.resist (the) temptation (=not do something that you would really like to do): · She thought of taking a day off work, but resisted the temptation.give in to (the) temptation (=do something that you would really like to do): · I finally gave in to temptation and ate a huge piece of cheesecake.
a pleasant quality that someone has that makes people like them, feel attracted to them, or be easily persuaded by them. Charm is also used about the special qualities that a place or thing has that make people like it: · With her charm and good looks, she's sure to be a success.· She was a leader of great character and tremendous personal charm.· The book captures Savannah's old Southern charm and its eccentric citizens perfectly.
a feeling that you want to do or have something especially written a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wanting to do something, especially something important, which makes you try very hard to have it or do it: desire to do something: · Young children have a keen desire to learn and succeed.desire for: · After so many years of war, there was a great desire for peace.a strong/keen/burning desire: · Young Peryoux left home for Paris, armed with a guitar, and a burning desire to succeed.
formal something that you want to happen, especially when this is very important to you: · His last wish was that his body should be buried in his home town.somebody's dearest/greatest wish (=the thing they want most of all): · She always wanted to see her grandchildren again - it was her dearest wish.
a very strong and long-lasting desire for something that you are unlikely to get - used especially in stories and literature: longing/yearning for: · She felt a great longing for the sights, sounds and smells of home.· The story gives a sensitive account of Paul's innocent yearning for love and affection.longing/yearning to do something: · At 18 I had a strong yearning to leave my small town, and see the world.
a very strong and uncontrollable desire to have something that you think about all the time, especially food, attention, or a drug: · After a week without smoking, the craving began to disappear.craving for: · The symptoms include a craving for sweet foods.
a very strong desire to have something, such as money or power, that can make you do evil things to get what you want: lust for: · Throughout his career he was motivated by a lust for power.· Her lust for money is insatiable.
a strong desire to have something regularly or do something regularly: appetite for: · He has a tremendous appetite for hard work.insatiable appetite (=extremely strong appetite): · The public has an insatiable appetite for scandal and political controversy.whet somebody's appetite (=make it stronger): · The dangers of the climb up Mt. Washington only whetted our appetite for more adventure.
a strong desire to do something, even though you know it is wrong, dangerous, unnecessary etc: temptation to do something: · There is always a temptation to blame others for your own problems.resist the temptation (=not do something, even though you want to): · Resist the temptation to get involved. After all, it's not your problem.give in to temptation (=to do something, after trying not to): · In the end, he gave in to temptation, and lit his first cigarette in five days.
an extremely strong desire, usually an unreasonable one, that is difficult or impossible to control: · The patient had a compulsion that caused him to wash his hands 20 or 30 times a day.compulsion to do something: · He felt a sudden compulsion to laugh out loud.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYverbs Gina succumbed to temptation and had a second serving of cake. Finally she yielded to temptation and helped herself to a large slice of cake.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
1a strong desire to have or do something even though you know you should nottemptation to do something· If you feel hungry during the day, resist the temptation to eat chocolate.
(=do what you feel you want to do)· Be strong – don’t give in to temptation.
formal (=give in to temptation)· Lorna succumbed to temptation and ordered the apple pie.
· Avoid the temptation to cheat.
· There is also the temptation to pay for the whole thing with a credit card.
adjectives· There is a strong temptation to ignore all the potential problems.· The temptation was too great for her to resist.
· He felt an overwhelming temptation to kiss her.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES (=things such as drinking, eating a lot, or having sex)
· He resisted the temptation to look back.
· There’s always a strong temptation to put off doing difficult tasks.
Gina succumbed to temptation and had a second serving of cake. Finally she yielded to temptation and helped herself to a large slice of cake.· The prospect of scaring off awkward media revelations will always provide a great temptation for Attorneys to bluff.· Like-father-like-son was his great temptation.· But it is a great temptation for people to say the latter, especially if they are ignorant of what others believe.· In movies like this, there is a great temptation to lean heavily on the melodrama.· Dhuoda thought of the palace as a place of great temptations.· Despite intense pressure and great temptation, they entered no wars.· Is this the moment of truth, he wrote, or the greatest temptation?· If such ideas were to spread, his own slaves might find them too great a temptation to resist.
· There's always a strong temptation to put off the most difficult task or the least congenial subject.· In the face of strong temptation, Janet dashes the bottle to the floor and rushes to Paddington to see Tryan.· One was the strong temptation towards explicitness and over-clarity.
VERB· Virgins should remain silent and avoid temptations where temptations might lurk.· We can not avoid the human temptation to extend longevity, and we can not reverse the aging process.· Constant vigilance to match appropriate services to needs, assessed along tight guidelines, is one way to avoid temptation.· Jackie was to make sure that Bud arrived on time, avoided such temptations as alcohol and got home safely.· Firstly you must select quotations carefully; they must do a job efficiently. Avoid the temptation to select too much.· I assemble my Trangia and cook food, avoiding the almost overwhelming temptation to use the gas cylinder.· Salespeople should avoid the temptation of making a sales presentation without finding out the needs of their customers.· The best way is to work out a weekly budget and avoid the temptation to splurge out at the beginning of term.
· Not to give in to temptation, nomatterwhat form it takes.· To give into that temptation, Tucker and Hendrickson warn, would be to lose our soul.· Please be strong tonight - don't give in to temptation.· Thou shall not give into temptation.· He resolutely refuses to give way to the temptation to blame the local inhabitants for their problems.
· When Sam succumbs to the temptation of putting on the Ring he feels Sauron looking for him.· There's always a strong temptation to put off the most difficult task or the least congenial subject.
· He was welcome to the food in the pantry, she thought grimly, resisting the temptation to hope it choked him.· Now that they had been made aware of their behavior, many promised to make the effort to resist the temptation.· He resisted the temptation, leaning back in his seat, running a hand across his forehead.· And resist the temptation to give them your money.· The smell was unpleasant too but she resisted the temptation to remove her scented handkerchief from the cuff of her blouse.· She called it the science of shopping, the ability to resist the temptations of dazzling packaging.· They can resist temptation long enough to make decisions based on good sense.· Tom Margittai successfully resisted the temptation to take a major detour from his original dream.
· If you succumb to the temptation to tell contrived jokes, ration yourself to two per day.· The Democrats succumbed to this temptation for decades, severing their congressional campaigns from their national presidential campaign.· When Sam succumbs to the temptation of putting on the Ring he feels Sauron looking for him.· He succumbs to the temptation of attending church services at Lowick, where Casaubon cuts him irretrievably.· She licked her very dry lips and refused to succumb to the temptation of another drink.· People would succumb to temptation and revert to familiar if inefficient form.· Had he believed her, he might have succumbed to temptation.· Gandhi did not often succumb to that temptation.
· And the temptation to try out all she'd learned was suddenly overwhelming.
· I was able to resist the temptation to turn.· Resist that temptation by turning it on its head.· Though the temptation to turn his back was strong, it was not in Mungo's nature to run away.
· I assemble my Trangia and cook food, avoiding the almost overwhelming temptation to use the gas cylinder.· This offered the temptation to Government to use section 2 to protect itself against potentially damaging disclosures.· Yet the temptation to use the Games for political purposes remains irresistible.· So the temptation to use them, which can best be resisted by the media group, is great.· The student must be careful to avoid the temptation of using the harp glissando to excess.· Avoid the temptation of using too much of the material you have gathered.
· A solution presents itself: the book will not yield to the hectic temptations, the seductions of the fevered imagination.· Nor does it yield to the temptation to manipulate performance and financial data in a way that obscures hard truths.
There might be a temptation to cheat if students sit too close together. Resist the temptation to buy the item until you’re certain you need it. I finally gave in to the temptation and had a cigarette.2something that makes you want to have or do something, even though you know you should not: Selling alcohol at truck stops is an unnecessary temptation for drivers.COLLOCATIONSverbsresist the temptation to do something· If you feel hungry during the day, resist the temptation to eat chocolate.give in to temptation (=do what you feel you want to do)· Be strong – don’t give in to temptation.succumb/yield to temptation formal (=give in to temptation)· Lorna succumbed to temptation and ordered the apple pie.avoid the temptation to do something· Avoid the temptation to cheat.there is a temptation to do something· There is also the temptation to pay for the whole thing with a credit card.adjectivesgreat/strong· There is a strong temptation to ignore all the potential problems.· The temptation was too great for her to resist.overwhelming· He felt an overwhelming temptation to kiss her.