dissuade
Americanverb (used with object)
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to deter by advice or persuasion; persuade not to do something (often followed byfrom ).
She dissuaded him from leaving home.
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Archaic. to advise or urge against.
to dissuade an action.
verb
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(often foll by from) to deter (someone) by persuasion from a course of action, policy, etc
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to advise against (an action, etc)
Other Word Forms
- dissuadable adjective
- dissuader noun
- dissuasion noun
- dissuasive adjective
- dissuasively adverb
- dissuasiveness noun
- predissuade verb (used with object)
- undissuadable adjective
Etymology
Origin of dissuade
1505–15; < Latin dissuādēre, equivalent to dis- dis- 1 + suādēre to recommend, urge, derivative of suād-, base of suāvis tasting agreeable; suave
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.
North Korea's abrupt border closure in 2020 stranded many of them abroad for years, and Pyongyang later beefed up defences along the frontier to dissuade illegal crossings.
From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026
Instead of simply dwelling on her situation though, Abeyance has thrown her energy into raising awareness of the risks involved in cosmetic dental surgery and has tried to dissuade others.
From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026
“Also, it could dissuade home builders from adding new home supply to the market.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
What do you use when you’re trying to dissuade a house guest that just won’t take a hint?
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026
They called around big Wall Street firms to see if anyone could dissuade them from buying credit default swaps on the double-A tranche of CDOs.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
