lead astray v 1: teach immoral behavior to; "It was common practice to lead off the young ones, and teach them bad habits" [syn: {lead off}] 2: lead someone in the wrong direction or give someone wrong directions; "The pedestrian misdirected the out-of-town driver" [syn: {mislead}, {misdirect}, {misguide}] 3: cause someone to believe an untruth; "The insurance company deceived me when they told me they were covering my house" [syn: {deceive}, {betray}] [ant: {undeceive}]