deter

verb de·ter \ di-ˈtər , dē- \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Examples: deter in a Sentence

Editor's Note: The Fearful History of deter

Definition of deter

deterred; deterring

transitive verb

1 : to turn aside, discourage, or prevent from acting

she would not be deterred by threats

2 : inhibit

painting to deter rust

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determent

play \-ˈtər-mənt\ noun

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deterrability

play \-ˌtər-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

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deterrable

play \-ˈtər-ə-bəl\ adjective

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Examples of deter in a Sentence

Rick Wagoner, CEO of General Motors, the automaker in most imminent danger of failure, gave lawmakers three reasons Chapter 11 isn't an option. First, the special financing that usually tides companies over through reorganization is so scarce right now that GM might not be able to get enough to keep functioning. Second, the stigma of bankruptcy would deter consumers from buying GM cars. Third, GM is already in the midst of a dramatic reorganization that will pave the way to a profitable future. —Justin Fox, Time, 1 Dec. 2008
For some species that deter attack by being poisonous, the goal of their physical appearance is not to hide or confuse other forest creatures, but to be noticed. —Candice Millard, The River of Doubt, 2005
Originally developed to monitor and track cattle, radio frequency identification (RFID) is now the cutting edge in merchandise, parcel, and baggage tracking. It's debuting in stores and libraries across the country as the most effective way to track inventory and deter theft without making consumers feel like they're in a war zone. —Athan Bezaaitis, PC Magazine, January 2000
None of these tribulations deterred spectators in the least. The ancient Olympics remained immensely popular, the greatest recurring event in antiquity, from 776 b.c. (when Hercules himself was said to have founded them) until a ban on pagan festivals by Christian emperor Theodosius I in the fourth century a.d. ensured their demise—a spectacular thousand-year run. —Leigh Steinberg, Civilization, June/July 2000
Some potential buyers will be deterred by the price.
Painting the metal will deter rust.

Recent Examples of deter from the Web

Sports) • Lakers believe Lonzo Ball’s camp leaked knee injury to deter trade.

— scooby axson, SI.com, "NBA Free Agency Rumors: Spurs Not Rushing To Deal Kawhi; Amir Johnson Back With Sixers," 5 July 2018
Britain has forces stationed on NATO’s Eastern frontier to deter Russian aggression.

— robert hutton, Bloomberg.com, "U.K. Worries About What Trump Could Promise Putin," 28 June 2018
Also called alligator bugs, peanut-head bugs have many defenses to deter their enemy, which is an insect-eating lizard, says Jo-Anne Sewlal, an entomologist at the University of the West Indies.

— National Geographic, "Meet the Bug That Armors Itself With Shells," 23 June 2018
President Obama tried to hold families in detention indefinitely, in hopes of deterring new migrants, which caused public outrage at the time.

— refinery29.com, "Everything You Need To Know About Trump's Family Separation Policy," 20 June 2018
Top administration officials, including Sessions and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, have said this policy is needed to deter migrants from crossing the border illegally.

— seung min kim, Anchorage Daily News, "7 questions about the family-separation policy, answered," 20 June 2018
Nam Sung-wook, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Korea University, said Kim is probably modeling a nuclear future after Pakistan, which began building a nuclear arsenal in the 1990s to deter India.

— kim tong-hyung, chicagotribune.com, "Kim Jong Un could give up ICBMs but keep some nuclear forces," 11 June 2018
According to Ross, the deal includes a $1 billion fine as well as $400 million held in escrow to deter ZTE from further misconduct.

— timothy b. lee, Ars Technica, "Confirmed: ZTE to reopen after $1 billion fine, new leadership [Updated]," 7 June 2018
The battery can be locked in place to deter theft or removed.

— ted slowik, Daily Southtown, "Slowik: Electric bikes poised to make inroads in the Southland," 30 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The Fearful History of deter

The word deter is rooted in fear. It was borrowed into English around the mid-16th century from the Latin verb deterrēre, which in turn was formed by combining de-, meaning "from" or "away," with terrēre, meaning "to frighten." Terrēre is also the source of terror, terrible, and even terrific, which originally meant "very bad" or "frightful." These days, you may be deterred by something that frightens you or by something that simply causes you to think about the difficult or unpleasant consequences of continuing. The word can also mean "to inhibit," as in "painting to deter rust."