deter

verb

di-ˈtər How to pronounce deter (audio)
Definition of deternext
as in to dissuade
to steer (a person) from an activity or course of action we tried to deter him from his crazy scheme, but to no avail

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deter Johannès and Janelle Salaün (Valkyries) are some of the most willing shooters in the world, and their unorthodox shot releases keep good defense from deterring them. — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 He is not deterred by anything that happened in that courtroom. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 And being forced to care for her mother deterred her from wanting children of her own. — Elizabeth Chuck, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026 The proposal did not immediately deter Kalshi, which continued to offer those wagers for months before hitting the brakes this week. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for deter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deter
  1. dissuade
  2. discourage
Verb
  • Voting rights advocates argue that requirements to present birth certificates or passports in order to register to vote is intended to make voting more difficult, to dissuade some people from voting at all.
    — Todd Spangler, Freep.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The specter of the lockout may dissuade owner Bob Nutting from making major changes this offseason.
    — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of dissuade
Verb
  • One Discord user posted a threat to hand out hundreds of fliers at the store’s physical Sonny Angel launch event later that morning, falsely claiming that owners supported ICE to discourage would-be shoppers.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The law has in some cases discouraged people, and especially women, from wanting to marry at a time when Japan’s birth rate has fallen to dangerously low levels.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of discourage

Browse Nearby Words

detentions
deter
deterge
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Cite this Entry

“Deter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deter. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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