deterrent

American  

[dih-tur-uhnt, -tuhr-, -ter-] / dɪˈtɜr ənt, -ˈtʌr-, -ˈtɛr- /

adjective

1. serving or tending to deter.

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noun

1. something that prevents, checks, or suppresses.

   a deterrent to crime.

2. something that repels.

   Our lemongrass-based bug deterrent is natural, safe, and effective.

   Synonyms:

   hindrance, check, curb, restraint

3. military strength or an ability to defend a country or retaliate strongly enough to deter an enemy from attacking.

deterrent British  

/ dɪˈtɛrənt /

noun

1. something that deters

2. a weapon or combination of weapons, esp nuclear, held by one state, etc, to deter attack by another

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adjective

1. tending or used to deter; restraining

Other Word Forms

• deterrence noun
• deterrently adverb
• nondeterrent adjective

Etymology

Origin of deterrent

First recorded in 1820–30; from Latin dēterrent- (stem of dēterrēns ), present participle of dēterrēre; deter, -ent

Example Sentences

He speculated it would have been used because it would act as a strong deterrent.

From BBC

That Young Boys fans avoided crowd disturbances during the length of their probation shows it can act as a deterrent.

From BBC

National Guard members, who are barred by law from engaging in law enforcement, were meant to serve as a visible deterrent, according to Defense Department officials.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Those can be defeated but that can take a lot of time,” Sutter said.”It’s not foolproof but at least it’s a strong deterrent.”

From Los Angeles Times

In future, such cases would be recorded separately and trigger an automatic life sentence, meant as a deterrent.

From BBC

Related Words

• disincentive
• hindrance
• obstacle