deter

[dih-tur]

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 deters

hinder, prevent, discourage, avert, prohibit, intimidate, frighten, preclude, stop, daunt, impede, forestall, dissuade, restrain, obstruct, scare, block, dampen, debar, cool

Examples from the Web for deters

Historical Examples of deters

Nor does he distinguish between the suffering which improves and the suffering which only punishes and deters.
Gorgias
Plato
The knowledge that virtue is its own reward is what deters many from well doing.
Crankisms
Lisle de Vaux Matthewman
Nothing so deters us from wanting to worship as the notion that worship is unliving.
An Interpretation of Friends Worship
N. Jean Toomer
Be vague, colourless, and languid, this deters readers from approaching the book.
How to Fail in Literature
Andrew Lang
A hand laid upon her shoulder startles and deters her from her purpose.
Faith and Unfaith
Duchess

British Dictionary definitions for deters

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 deters

deter

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