deter
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to discourage or restrain from acting or proceeding.
The large dog deterred trespassers.
-
to prevent; check; arrest.
timber treated with creosote to deter rot.
-
to repel.
Strongly scented marigolds planted among the melons are supposed to deter beetles.
verb
Other Word Forms
- determent noun
- deterrability noun
- deterrable adjective
- deterrer noun
- undeterrability noun
- undeterrable adjective
- undeterrably adverb
- undeterring adjective
Etymology
Origin of deter
First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin dēterrēre “to discourage, put off, frighten,” equivalent to dē-, prefix and preposition + terrēre “to frighten, scare”; de-
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.
Financial transactions with Iran, including paying for the passage of Hormuz, are subject to U.S. sanctions that would deter major global shipping companies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Executives warn that sustained volatility could deter future LNG infrastructure investment.
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
Then, in January, the Pentagon’s latest national defense strategy assessed that South Korea is “capable of taking primary responsibility” to deter North Korea.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
“To build themselves up and deter others from challenging their power, they take others down in public, letting them know exactly where they stand and how much they scorn them.”
From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026
This estimate was very roughly corroborated two decades later by the Marquis de Denonville, governor of New France, who destroyed the annual harvest of four adjacent Haudenosaunee villages to deter future attacks.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
