dissuade

1 of 2

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

dissuader

2 of 2

noun

dis·​suad·​er

-də(r)

plural -s

: one that dissuades from a course of action

Synonyms of dissuade

Verb

• discourage
• deter

Examples of dissuade in a Sentence

Verb

Our warnings did not dissuade them.

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Analysts have said the film was challenging to market, given a major twist in the plot, and that Cruise’s nearly unrecognizable appearance could have dissuaded his fan base from coming out to support the film. — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

His opposition to the California proposal wasn't enough to dissuade the state Democratic Party's executive board from endorsing the measure earlier this year. — ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026

Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang of Arcadia, who were arrested at their home Tuesday morning, were set to be charged with several felonies, including conspiracy to commit child abuse and dissuading a witness, DA Nathan Hochman said. — Austin Turner, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026

Black influencers, some with more than a million followers on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, warned against deceptive efforts to dissuade Black people from voting. — New York Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

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