deter

[ dih-tur ]

/ dɪˈtɜr /

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.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of deter

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

Related forms

de·ter·ment, nounde·ter·ra·ble, adjectivede·ter·ra·bil·i·ty, nounde·ter·rer, noun

un·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

Examples from the Web for undeterred

Undeterred by the snub in November, and denied a visa to Italy, Agca made plans for clandestine travel to Vatican City.
Pope-Shooter Ali Agca’s Very Weird Vatican Visit|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His acolytes, some of whom refer to themselves as “health freedom fighters” are undeterred by this sort of jealous shoptalk.
Honey Boo Boo, Snake Oil, and Ebola: The Weird World of Young Living Essential Oils|Kent Sepkowitz|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The pilot, who had flown the short route countless times, was undeterred.
Frank Sinatra and the Birth of the Jet Set|William Stadiem|August 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Undeterred, Wanda and Ida press on along a road of hostility and dissimulation that will lead to the harrowing end of their quest.
Holocaust Horrors Haunt the Films ‘Ida’ And ‘The German Doctor’|Jack Schwartz|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But Brown was undeterred by the defeat and has quickly gotten back on the horse.
This Is Scott Brown’s Granite State Of Whatever|Olivia Nuzzi|March 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sir Bryan, undeterred by these suggestions of his fancy, lifted up his voice and shouted "Hulloo!"
Peak and Prairie|Anna Fuller
However, the order was to advance, so undeterred by the gaps ploughed in their ranks, the brigade pressed steadily on.
The First Seven Divisions|Ernest W. Hamilton
Shots were interchanged now, and undeterred by what they had heard the sailors pressed forward.
Young Glory and the Spanish Cruiser|Walter Fenton Mott
Undeterred by any sense of delicacy, Quin pushed open the door and bolted in.
Quin|Alice Hegan Rice
The other undeterred, sank into the chair opposite, his face twisted cynically.
Frigid Fracas|Dallas McCord Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for undeterred

undeterred

/ (ˌʌndɪˈtɜːd) /

adjective

not discouraged or dissuaded

deter

/ (dɪˈtɜː) /

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 undeterred

undeterred

adj.

c.1600, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of deter.

deter

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