deterrent

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

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adjective

serving or tending to deter.

noun

something that deters: a deterrent to crime.
military strength or an ability to defend a country or retaliate strongly enough to deter an enemy from attacking.

Origin of deterrent

1820–30; < Latin dēterrent- (stem of dēterrēns), present participle of dēterrēre. See deter, -ent

Related formsde·ter·rent·ly, adverbnon·de·ter·rent, adjective

Synonyms for deterrent

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2. restraint, curb, check, hindrance.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for deterrent

hindrance, obstacle, disincentive, shackle, preventative, leash, defense, bridle, rein, curb, discouragement, determent, check, preventive

Examples from the Web for deterrent

Contemporary Examples of deterrent

This is supposed to act as a deterrent, but may be an incitement.
In Jerusalem Home Demolitions, the Biblical Justice of Revenge
Creede Newton
November 25, 2014
Prosecutors described the verdict and the sentencing as a “deterrent.”
Egyptian Court Hands Down Stiff Sentences for Al-Jazeera Journalists
Jesse Rosenfeld
June 23, 2014
Still, there may be a deterrent for women that is far less spoken about, at least in polite circles.
C’mon, Ladies, Masturbation Isn’t Just for Bad Girls
Emily Shire
June 19, 2014
Concealed carry is good for responding to a crime in progress; open carry is a deterrent to it.
A Gun Owner Speaks: My Case for Open Carry
CJ Grisham
June 12, 2014
These steps would be plausible, purely defensive, and a deterrent for starters.
Obama Must Show He’ll Use Military Means to Deter Russia in Ukraine
Leslie H. Gelb
March 30, 2014

Historical Examples of deterrent

The ease of getting a livelihood acts as a deterrent to ambition.
The Negro Farmer
Carl Kelsey
It is a deterrent for others, not a healing process for the man himself.
The Soul of a People
H. Fielding
The school has in most cases been a deterrent to their progress, rather than a help.
The Measurement of Intelligence
Lewis Madison Terman
This is only an imitation of nature, in which pain is a sanction and a deterrent.
Folkways
William Graham Sumner
Here we have a recrudescence of the idea that great penalties are deterrent.
Folkways
William Graham Sumner

British Dictionary definitions for deterrent

deterrent

noun

something that deters
a weapon or combination of weapons, esp nuclear, held by one state, etc, to deter attack by another

adjective

tending or used to deter; restraining

Derived Formsdeterrence, noun

Word Origin for deterrent

C19: from Latin dēterrēns hindering; see deter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for deterrent

1829, noun and adjective, in Bentham, from Latin deterrentem, present participle of deterrere (see deter). In reference to nuclear weapons, from 1954.