discourage

verb

dis·cour·age | \ dis-ˈkər-ij

, -ˈkə-rij\

discouraged; discouraging

Definition of discourage

transitive verb

1 : to deprive of courage or confidence : dishearten was discouraged by repeated failure

2a : to hinder by disfavoring trying to discourage absenteeism

b : to dissuade or attempt to dissuade from doing something tried to discourage her from going

Other Words from discourage Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about discourage

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Other Words from discourage

discourageable \ dis-ˈkər-i-jə-bəl

, -ˈkə-ri- \ adjective

discourager noun

discouragingly \ dis-ˈkər-i-jiŋ-lē

, -ˈkə-ri- \ adverb

Examples of discourage in a Sentence

Try not to let losing discourage you. The area's dry climate discourages agriculture. He claims the new regulations will discourage investment. That type of behavior ought to be discouraged.

Recent Examples on the Web

Laws mandating helmets may even discourage ridership. — Maya Dukmasova, Chicago Reader, "Why I loathe bicycle helmets," 21 June 2018 Now, new payments from foreign affiliates to U.S. parent companies should generally go untaxed by the U.S., with exceptions meant to discourage multinationals from artificially shifting profits to tax havens. — Theo Francis, WSJ, "WSJ Tax Guide 2019: What Investors Need to Know," 15 Feb. 2019 An earlier Thai constitution sought to discourage coalition governments to prevent wheeling and dealing in which parties sold their loyalty for Cabinet posts, which perpetuated a political spoils system. — Jerry Harmer, The Seattle Times, "Candidates register for 1st Thai general election since coup," 4 Feb. 2019 But this possibility helps to discourage Google from abusing its dominant position in the Android app ecosystem. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "How Apple hopes to stop a customer lawsuit over its App Store monopoly," 27 Nov. 2018 Women are hit with a double whammy: Not only is personal finance and investing rarely taught in schools or at home, but women are often discouraged from talking about or managing money. — Ellen Sheng, Marie Claire, "Women Need to Think About Investing Differently Than Men," 30 Jan. 2019 Lightly rake the seeds into the soil, water well, and loosely cover with hay to discourage foraging birds and prevent rain from washing away the seeds. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "How to Get Your Lawn Ready for Spring," 22 Jan. 2019 The increases were aimed at discouraging drivers from using fuels that burn emissions the government blames for climate change. — Stacy Meichtry, WSJ, "‘Yellow Vest’ Protests Pit Rural France Against Macron," 26 Nov. 2018 Looming over the revenue discussion are questions about the impact of the tax, which proponents said would discourage soda consumption. — Daniel Beekman, The Seattle Times, "Seattle City Council scrutinizes mayor’s spending plan for larger-than-expected soda-tax proceeds," 22 Oct. 2018

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