lead astray
Guide toward wrongdoing
To lead astray is to guide someone away from the right path—literally or figuratively.
The phrase usually implies moral or behavioral misdirection: Bad companions led him astray.
It can also mean simply to cause someone to lose their way: The confusing signs led us astray.
The passive form be led astray is common, often suggesting vulnerability to temptation or deception.
- misguideLead in wrong direction
- deceiveCause false belief
- corruptDishonest, open to bribes
- misinformConvey false details
- false prophetDeceiver claiming divine insight
pull the wool · manipulate · bad influence · entice · deprave · trick · lure · garden path · subvert · dupe · seduce · beguile · pervert · hoodwink · temptress · bamboozle · ensnare · misdirect
lead astrayguide
Leader or instruction book
set straight · show the way · direct · orient · instruct
lead, stray, mislead, misleading, misled, strayed, straying, astray, strays