deter
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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.
“The attacks are meant to disrupt and deter ships from traversing the strait,” Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at London’s Chatham House think tank.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026
Hang Dang, a 76-year-old retiree, was not letting extreme temperatures deter her from attending celebrations in Washington for the 250th July Fourth anniversary.
From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026
The eminently sane Mr. Smith understands the need to shorten such timelines to better deter China.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
But Esme says that, based on her experience, it doesn't feel like the BTP is able to respond quickly enough to really protect people when they report an incident - or deter unwanted behaviour.
From BBC • Jun. 27, 2026
He seemed to be in charge of the other children, and if he got scared enough, he’d not only lead them out of the forest but deter them from coming back.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
