dissuade

verb

dis·​suade di-ˈswād 

dissuaded; dissuading

transitive verb

1

a

: to advise (a person) against something

… dissuading us from base thoughts, low ends, ignoble gains …

—A. T. Quiller-Couch

b

archaic : to advise against (an action)

2

: to turn from something by persuasion

unable to dissuade him from going

dissuader noun

Synonyms of dissuade

• discourage
• deter

Examples of dissuade in a Sentence

Our warnings did not dissuade them.

tried to dissuade her from her intention to drop out of college

Recent Examples on the Web

Following one incident with the actor, he was charged with seven felony counts, including assault, injuring a girlfriend and dissuading a witness from prosecuting a crime. — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026

The focus will be on advanced heat management and battery performance, given temperatures exceeding 40°C can cut battery range by as much as 22%, dissuading potential buyers who frequently navigate long desert routes. — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026

Ultimately, this resilience to biological attacks could dissuade malicious actors from attempting to use them in the first place, knowing that the effects will be minimized—a strategy of deterrence by resilience. — Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

He was arrested again in 2020 and charged with four counts of injuring a spouse or cohabitant, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of dissuading a witness and one misdemeanor battery count. — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French or Latin; Middle French dissuader, from Latin dissuadēre, from dis- + suadēre to urge — more at sweet

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for dissuade

• afraid
• allayed
• arcade
• arrayed
• assayed
• barmaid
• betrayed
• blockade
• bridesmaid
• brigade
• brocade
• buffeted

Kids Definition

dissuade

verb

dis·​suade dis-ˈwād 

dissuaded; dissuading

: to persuade or advise not to do something