verb
deter
dih-TER/dɪˈtɜːr/
To discourage or prevent someone from acting through fear, doubt, or difficulty.
The growling dog deters him from entering the open gate.
Etymology
The pieces mean frightening someone away from an action. The sense broadened from stopping someone through fear to discouraging action through any countervailing motive.
In context
Being visible is one way to deter a turf war. The free souls member Burrow spoke with has his own deterrent.
More examples
- High fees deter some students from applying.
- Rain did not deter the determined hikers.
- The warning is intended to deter dangerous behavior.
Forms
deter · deters · deterred · deterring
deterrent noun — something that discourages an action
Similar words
- discourage
- Can reduce willingness without fear or a concrete obstacle.
- prevent
- Prevent stops an action; deter can work by making someone decide against it.