Military decoys imitate troops, vehicles, aircraft, or other valuable targets so that an opponent wastes time or fire. The apparent object matters less than the belief it creates, making the decoy a powerful image for deception. In verse, a decoy may be a false memory, a performed identity, or a beautiful distraction hiding danger. The term invites questions about who is sacrificed to protect what is real, and whether a false appearance can acquire its own emotional truth.

A decoy is deliberately made or presented to attract attention away from the true person, object, or objective. It may be a dummy vehicle, false signal, disguised figure, or misleading movement. In poetry, the term is useful for exploring masks, doubles, sacrifice, and the gap between appearance and reality. Related terms include lure, feint, ruse, diversion, dummy, and false target.