deter
Americanverb (used with object)
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deters,
present (3rd person singular)
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deterred,
past participle, past
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deterring
present participle
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to discourage or restrain from acting or proceeding.
The large dog deterred trespassers.
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to prevent; check; arrest.
timber treated with creosote to deter rot.
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to repel.
Strongly scented marigolds planted among the melons are supposed to deter beetles.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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determentnoun
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deterrabilitynoun
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deterrernoun
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undeterrabilitynoun
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deterrableadjective
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undeterrableadjective
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undeterringadjective
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undeterrablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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detersimple
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deterssimple
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have deterredperfect
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has deterredperfect
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am deterringprogressive
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are deterringprogressive
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is deterringprogressive
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have been deterringperfect progressive
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has been deterringperfect progressive
Past
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deterredsimple
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had deterredperfect
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was deterringprogressive
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were deterringprogressive
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had been deterringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deter
First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin dēterrēre “to discourage, put off, frighten,” equivalent to dē-, prefix and preposition + terrēre “to frighten, scare”; see de-
Explanation
Deter means to discourage, or literally “to frighten away.” Halloween decorations that are too scary might deter trick-or-treaters, and the risk of being expelled deters kids from cheating in school. Deter comes from the Latin de meaning "away" and terrere meaning "frighten." Something that deters isn’t always scary, though: citronella plants deter mosquitoes, and fines deter people from littering. Teddy Roosevelt's foreign policy dictum "speak softly and carry a big stick" was meant to deter other countries from attacking the United States.
Vocabulary lists containing deter
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
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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.
See Examples For:
As Baldacci says in an essay this week, “Arguing about facts doesn’t deter outlandish ideas, misinformation or AI hallucination. Maybe more storytelling, more imagination, more fiction is what’s needed to combat the unreality spun online.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Arguing about facts doesn’t deter outlandish ideas, misinformation or AI hallucination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
He said seizing vehicles was intended to keep roads safe and deter dangerous driving.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
But even some of the grants slated to fund more traditional human rights projects skirt federal requirements for competitive bidding that are meant to deter waste, fraud and abuse.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
Trees can also deter destructive creatures like caterpillars by flooding their leaves with tannin, which makes the leaves less tasty and so inclines the caterpillars to look elsewhere.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Not everyone is well-versed in investing for retirement, and that lack of knowledge deters some people from saving for the future at all.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
I think some of that deters people from coming to downtown even if you have a cool place and a cool party,” Origin’s co-founder Roni Mehrabian said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Evidence that the CTA deters real criminals is thin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Upon that appointment, Hegseth described him as "a generational leader" who will "help ensure the Army revives the warrior ethos, rebuilds for the modern battlefield, and deters our enemies around the world".
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026
The others have turned pale; let’s hope it deters them.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
Some older homeowners may be deterred from selling by the tax hit if their property has appreciated significantly in value since they bought it.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
And since the pile-up of injuries hasn’t deterred women from buying the pants, it might just be that fashion victim is the real label of the summer.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
Despite the threat of strikes, conservatives in Tehran have watched with rising alarm as traffic that was deterred from crossing during the war now ply the U.S.-backed route near Oman.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Last Fourth of July, the company’s system deterred more than 20,000 people in the U.S. from booking an entire home listing on Airbnb, according to company spokesperson Ruthie Kongo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
I did not see Edmund for several weeks, and thinking I had finally deterred him, I resumed my usual habits.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
With China at the forefront, coast guards are evolving into tools for projecting power in the Western Pacific, marking territory and deterring rivals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Austria will formally open a new police station on Wednesday in Adolf Hitler's former house, in the hope of deterring today's ascendant far-right extremists from making the pilgrimage to the Nazi dictator's birthplace.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Still, deterring China in its backyard will remain a challenge for the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
It marks a wider trend of governments hardening their stance on undocumented migration, with many, including the UK and Italy, adopting measures aimed at deterring it.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
It can patrol there with its big old horns, deterring burglars and such.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
