discourage

verb

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dis·cour·age | \ di-ˈskər-ij

, -ˈskə-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

Other Words from discourage

discourageable \ di-ˈskər-i-jə-bəl

, -ˈskə-ri- \ adjective

discourager noun

discouragingly \ di-ˈskər-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 Called a de facto ban by many, the law aims to discourage polystyrene use by requiring a 25 percent reduction by 2025. — David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 July 2022 On Tuesday, the agency announced plans to slash nicotine levels in traditional cigarettes as a way to discourage use of the most deadly of legal consumer products. — Matt Richtel And Andrew Jacobs, BostonGlobe.com, 23 June 2022 On Tuesday, the agency announced plans to slash nicotine levels in traditional cigarettes as a way to discourage use of the most deadly of legal consumer products. — New York Times, 23 June 2022 The tax raises revenue while aiming to discourage tobacco use; like fees, tobacco tax revenues are usually deposited into a special fund and are used to defray the costs of addressing the societal harms resulting from tobacco use. — Roxanne Bland, Forbes, 6 June 2022 Already, various governments have put a price on carbon emissions, launched carbon trading systems, and taken other actions to either discourage the use of fossil fuels or encourage the use of cleaner alternatives. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 10 May 2022 During Wednesday's debate, senators added a provision to require counties to staff each box — something that could further discourage their use. — John Hanna, ajc, 24 Mar. 2022 But the officers' attorneys said seven of their eight clients were injured during clashes with protesters and that their use of bean bag rounds was authorized and specifically targeted to discourage the use of violence. — Ashley Killough, CNN, 22 Feb. 2022 Wants state to use alternative methods to traditional policing to discourage crime by addressing its root causes, such as economic despair and behavioral health issues. — Mallory Moench, Dustin Gardiner, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Feb. 2022 See More

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.