deterred

American

[dih-turd] / dɪˈtɜrd /

adjective

discouraged or restrained from acting or proceeding.

A visible thief is a deterred thief, so installing motion-sensing lights on your property helps to protect it.
kept from happening; prevented or checked.

Assuming that those 79,000 deterred property crimes have an average cost of $1,900 each, that’s a savings of over $150 million.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of deter.

Other Word Forms

undeterred adjective

Etymology

Origin of deterred

deter ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

KB Home shares were under pressure on Wednesday after the company said it’s already seeing prospective buyers deterred by the war in Iran as the Los Angeles home builder cut its full-year guidance.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

That hasn’t deterred the U.S., which has been flying more than 10 MQ-9 orbits over Iran at a time as the American commanders push to stop Tehran’s ballistic-missile launches and whittle down other offensive capabilities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

Clovis coach Cooper Steele said his team had to be aggressive with Centennial’s size, so the free throws the Huskies made were something that couldn’t be deterred.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

She said disabled people who want to get into acting shouldn't be deterred by the idea that disabled actors would be "fighting for the same jobs".

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

I was trying to rescue Diego—I’d-never seen him so adorably flustered—but my mother was not easily deterred.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023