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
- determent noun
- deterrability noun
- deterrable adjective
- deterrer noun
- undeterrability noun
- undeterrable adjective
- undeterrably adverb
- undeterring adjective
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”; de-
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.
Plus, without mechanisms to make any war catastrophic for Beijing, one expert warns, failure to deter it in the Taiwan Strait could plunge the world into chaos.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
Executives warn that sustained volatility could deter future LNG infrastructure investment.
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
“To build themselves up and deter others from challenging their power, they take others down in public, letting them know exactly where they stand and how much they scorn them.”
From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026
They were content to contain and deter Iran, keeping war in reserve if it really did try to get a nuclear weapon.
From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026
“They’re filled with hydrogen and suspended by steel cables. They’re placed around valuable sites to deter German aircraft.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
