dissuade

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

Synonyms of dissuade

• discourage
• deter

Examples of dissuade in a Sentence

Our warnings did not dissuade them.

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

Recent Examples on the Web

The high risk of – and challenges of addressing – oil spills and other safety incidents in the hostile Arctic climate are another dissuading factor, as are environmental costs of operating there. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

Mulch also helps suppress weeds and dissuades strawberry pests like slugs. — Michelle Mastro, Architectural Digest, 14 Aug. 2026

Trump may be taking a risk by leaning into this more, though, because Democrats may be dissuaded by his close involvement in the bill. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Cloobeck, 64, was arrested in May and charged with three counts of attempting to dissuade a witness from testifying and one count of harassment for making annoying phone calls, according to a criminal complaint. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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