deter
🇬🇧 /dɪˈtɜː/
🇺🇸 /dɪˈtɜr/
📖 Definitions
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verb
To discourage or prevent someone from doing something by instilling fear, doubt, or a sense of difficulty; to dissuade through the threat of negative consequences.; To prevent or hinder an action or event from occurring by making it seem too risky, costly, or difficult.; In military or strategic contexts, to prevent an adversary from taking hostile action by maintaining a credible threat of retaliation or overwhelming force.; To turn aside or divert from a course of action; to cause to desist.
🔗 Details
Word forms
3rd sing.: deters
Past: deterred
Past part.: deterred
Pres part.: deterring
Collocations
deter crimedeter someone from doing somethingdeter aggressiondeter attackdeter potential offenders
Derivatives
deterrentdeterrenceundeterred
Synonyms
discouragedissuadepreventdauntdishearten
Antonyms
encourageenticepersuadeattract
Commonly confused
defer
EN: 'Defer' means to postpone or yield to another's opinion; 'deter' means to discourage or prevent through fear of consequences.
deterrent
EN: 'Deterrent' is the noun/adjective form (something that deters); 'deter' is the verb.
Spelling tips
EN: The final 'r' is doubled when adding suffixes (deterred, deterring) because the stress falls on the final syllable. Do not write 'detered' or 'detering'.
💬 Examples
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The heavy fines are designed to deter people from littering in public parks.
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The presence of security cameras did not deter the thieves from breaking into the warehouse.
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The country developed nuclear weapons primarily to deter potential aggressors.
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Nothing could deter her from pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor.