deter

[dih-tur]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR deter ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), de·terred, de·ter·ring.

to discourage or restrain from acting or proceeding: The large dog deterred trespassers.

to prevent; check; arrest: timber treated with creosote to deter rot.

Origin of deter

1570–80; < Latin dēterrēre to prevent, hinder, equivalent to dē- de- + terrēre to frighten

Related formsde·ter·ment, nounde·ter·ra·ble, adjectivede·ter·ra·bil·i·ty, nounde·ter·rer, nounun·de·ter·ra·bil·i·ty, nounun·de·ter·ra·ble, adjectiveun·de·ter·ra·bly, adverbun·de·terred, adjectiveun·de·ter·ring, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for deterring

discouraging, impeding, hampering, deterrent

Examples from the Web for deterring

Contemporary Examples of deterring

Your effect in deterring others to travel without proper consideration would be hugely significant.
An Ex-Radical's Open Letter to ISIS Fighters: Quit Now While You Can!
Maajid Nawaz
September 10, 2014
This can be a helpful guide to other nations in deterring ISIS from recruiting.
It'll Take More Than Bombs to Stop ISIS
Dean Obeidallah
September 2, 2014
Political drift is deterring foreign investors and frightening off overseas business.
One Year Later, Libya’s Long Road Continues
Jamie Dettmer
October 22, 2012
He said deterring Hamas anew would require “massive air strikes for some days.”
Israel Is Losing
Dan Ephron
March 23, 2011
Deterring Hamas anew would require “massive air strikes for some days.”
Israel Is Losing
Dan Ephron
March 23, 2011

Historical Examples of deterring

It has in it much of that quality which "draws the devout, deterring the profane."
The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb
Charles Lamb
The very idea of "deterring" them from entrance has been avowedly discarded.
English Poor Law Policy
Sidney Webb
Punishment is efficacious in deterring from crime only if it be certain and speedy.
Curiosities of Olden Times
S. Baring-Gould
The process of driving out, and also of deterring, has failed.
Charles Sumner; his complete works, volume 5 (of 20)
Charles Sumner
So far from this deterring Engels, it was just this which made his task attractive.
The Art of Lecturing
Arthur M. (Arthur Morrow) Lewis

British Dictionary definitions for deterring

deter

verb -ters, -terring or -terred

(tr) to discourage (from acting) or prevent (from occurring), usually by instilling fear, doubt, or anxiety

Derived Formsdeterment, noun

Word Origin for deter

C16: from Latin dēterrēre, from de- + terrēre to frighten

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 deterring

deter

1570s, from Latin deterrere "to frighten from, discourage from," from de- "away" (see de-) + terrere "frighten" (see terrible). Deterrent is from 1829.