deterrence

noun de·ter·rence \ di-ˈtər-ən(t)s , -ˈter- ; -ˈtə-rən(t)s , -ˈte- ; dē- \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Examples: deterrence in a Sentence

Definition of deterrence

: the act or process of deterring: such as

a : the inhibition of criminal behavior by fear especially of punishment

b : the maintenance of military power for the purpose of discouraging attack

nuclear deterrence

See deterrence defined for English-language learners

See deterrence defined for kids

Examples of deterrence in a Sentence

The author argues that deterrence is no longer the best way to prevent war.

Recent Examples of deterrence from the Web

In the weeks before the summit, alliance leaders feared Trump would try to blow everything up, dealing a truly severe blow to the multilateral world order and to trans-Atlantic deterrence and cohesion.

— BostonGlobe.com, "At NATO, Trump claims allies make new defense spending commitments after he upends summit," 13 July 2018
In the weeks before the summit meeting, alliance leaders feared that Mr. Trump would try to blow everything up, dealing a truly severe blow to the multilateral world order and to trans-Atlantic deterrence and cohesion.

— New York Times, "NATO Survives Trump, but the Turmoil Is Leaving Scars," 12 July 2018
Noisy rows would risk undermining the sense of political unity on which deterrence depends.

— The Economist, "Will Donald Trump be Triumphant, Tetchy or Torpedo?," 5 July 2018
When Trump took office, Washington elites were arguing over two options for dealing with Kim’s nukes: military intervention or learning to live with a nuclear North Korea through deterrence.

— brian bennett, Time, "This Is What Trump’s Impulsive Diplomacy Looks Like," 14 June 2018
They are being used as a form of deterrence for others.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Another Glimpse of State Terror in Trump’s America," 8 June 2018
So, the only viable way ahead for the United States and our allies is a dual strategy of deterrence and engagement.

— jon wolfsthal, The New Republic, "Trump Plays Hard to Get," 24 May 2018
This had a deterrence component to it: Because children can’t be held in jails, Sessions’s policy shift effectively mandated that they be separated from their parents and placed in the Department of Health and Human Services’ custody.

— matt ford, The New Republic, "The Immigration Forces Beyond Trump’s Control," 8 June 2018
The ballistic missile submarine is the most reliable means of nuclear deterrence.

— dimitrios mitsopoulos, Popular Mechanics, "All the Nuclear Missile Submarines in the World in One Chart," 8 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of deterrence

see deter

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1861

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

DETERRENCE Defined for English Language Learners

deterrence

noun

Definition of deterrence for English Language Learners

: the act of making someone decide not to do something : the act of preventing a particular act or behavior from happening
politics : the policy of developing a lot of military power so that other countries will not attack your country