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

When Tagger was 10, coaches dissuaded her from switching from two hands to one. — James Hansen, New York Times, 27 July 2026

Other chat logs included in the lawsuit also show ChatGPT dissuading Winters from seeking hospital care and downplaying Winters’ wife’s concerns about her husband’s health. — Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 22 July 2026

The threat of drone strikes has dissuaded many traders and fuel-tanker drivers from entering the city, though some still slip through at night on perilous journeys from the east. — Mat Nashed, Christian Science Monitor, 21 July 2026

Most recently, a flurry of appeals from several governments — including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar — dissuaded Trump from following through on a plan to collect fees from ships transiting the strait. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 20 July 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