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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Recent Examples of deter
Trump ultimately activated the National Guard and federal agents later in August to deter crime, clear homeless encampments, and remove trash in public areas.
—
David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2025
When threatened, gopher snakes often flatten their heads and hiss loudly, mimicking rattlesnakes to deter predators.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
As the Amityville house is a private residence, public visitors are not welcome at the property, which was changed from its original address to deter fans from seeking it out.
—Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
To deter them, Karlton played loud music and aimed a floodlight in their direction.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deter
David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2025
When threatened, gopher snakes often flatten their heads and hiss loudly, mimicking rattlesnakes to deter predators.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
As the Amityville house is a private residence, public visitors are not welcome at the property, which was changed from its original address to deter fans from seeking it out.
—Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
To deter them, Karlton played loud music and aimed a floodlight in their direction.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deter
Verb
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But some advocates say his posture is hardly unique among previous presidents, and they won’t be dissuaded from seeking to build consensus for tribal goals.—
Terry Tang,
Twin Cities,
13 Oct. 2025
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In this scenario, the growing economic uncertainty surrounding the government shutdown is dissuading more buyers from purchasing properties this year.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That same year, millions of plaintiffs filed an antitrust class action lawsuit seeking over $1 billion in damages that alleged Sutter Health overcharged customers and companies for health care bills and discouraged clients from using other lower-cost services.—
Kyle Martin,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
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Meanwhile, Beijing has reportedly been discouraging local firms from buying Nvidia chips.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deter. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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