deterrence

Sometimes de·ter·ren·cy

[dih-tur-uhns, -tuhr-, -ter-]

noun

1. the act of deterring, especially deterring a nuclear attack by the capacity or threat of retaliating.

deterrence

1. A military capability sufficiently strong to discourage any would-be aggressor from starting a war because of the fear of retaliation. (See balance of terror.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of deterrence¹

First recorded in 1860–65; deterr(ent) + -ence

Example Sentences

China’s increasing warhead levels are creating a tripolar nuclear world, upsetting all the weapons requirements, deterrence strategies and arms-control formulas of the previously bipolar world.

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Such detection is a necessary first step in building deterrence, analysts say.

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The statement by the Danish defence ministry talks about deterrence and Nato obligations - but it does not mention the United States or Russia.

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"We will advance the integration of high-tech and AI technologies to build a smart defence combat system, maximising effective deterrence for our asymetric strategy," Lai said.

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Roske’s sentence, prosecutors told the court, needed to send a message of deterrence to “all those who would plan to employ violence to achieve ideological ends, such as killing judges to change a judicial outcome.”

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