red herring

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the case of the drone story, I was naturally thinking of rival news outlets that keep dangling the alien-visitation red herring in front of their readers because it generates clicks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

Filip explained how the damage initially sent him off on a red herring.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

“The childish scribbling handwriting is also a red herring for some of the more serious and sinister themes in the book, “ says Cash.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

Firm jobs growth could also be a "red herring," warned EY-Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco in a recent note.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

As we saw in chapter 4, many prepositions, such as after and before, take either one, so the question of whether like is a conjunction is a red herring.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker