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"decoy" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often distraction (11 letters).
Definitions
lure or entrap with or as if with a decoy
Word origin
From Dutch de + kooi, literally "the cage". Possibly related to verb coy (which itself may have been influenced by decoy).
Used in a sentence
“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.”
“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.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer2 curated clues
01“Lure”5 letters
02“Bait”5 letters
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