as in dissuading
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in deterrent
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Recent Examples of deterring
Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
In turn, allies must better understand that their conventional military forces and American capabilities, conventional and nuclear, are part of one system for deterring threats and responding to attacks.
—Mariano-Florentino CuÉllar, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2025
When reporting brings abuse to light, prosecutors can crack down on offenders, potentially deterring further abuse.
—Nina A. Kohn, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Containing Russia in Europe is therefore essential to deterring China globally.
—Sławomir Cenckiewicz, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Products like organic soap sprays and organic horticultural oil control smaller pests, while tree guards, netting, and fruit protection bags are musts for deterring birds and large critters such as groundhogs or raccoons, or deer that may damage the tree bark.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Sep. 2025
The parents of a 16-year-old who died by suicide are suing OpenAI, claiming its chatbot contributed to the death of their son by, at times, deterring him from seeking help and answering his questions about suicide methods, The New York Times reported.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2025
The peace of mind that an anti-theft travel bag can provide is invaluable, and Amazon has plenty of zippered, theft-deterring options on sale for Labor Day.
—Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2025
Under direct presidential authority, Guard members have been posted to monuments, checkpoints and traffic stops across all eight wards, with a mission of deterring crime and maintaining a visible security presence.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Cutting the horns reduces the value of the rhinos, thus deterring poachers and saving the animals’ lives.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
In turn, allies must better understand that their conventional military forces and American capabilities, conventional and nuclear, are part of one system for deterring threats and responding to attacks.
—Mariano-Florentino CuÉllar, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2025
When reporting brings abuse to light, prosecutors can crack down on offenders, potentially deterring further abuse.
—Nina A. Kohn, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Containing Russia in Europe is therefore essential to deterring China globally.
—Sławomir Cenckiewicz, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Products like organic soap sprays and organic horticultural oil control smaller pests, while tree guards, netting, and fruit protection bags are musts for deterring birds and large critters such as groundhogs or raccoons, or deer that may damage the tree bark.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Sep. 2025
The parents of a 16-year-old who died by suicide are suing OpenAI, claiming its chatbot contributed to the death of their son by, at times, deterring him from seeking help and answering his questions about suicide methods, The New York Times reported.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2025
The peace of mind that an anti-theft travel bag can provide is invaluable, and Amazon has plenty of zippered, theft-deterring options on sale for Labor Day.
—Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2025
Under direct presidential authority, Guard members have been posted to monuments, checkpoints and traffic stops across all eight wards, with a mission of deterring crime and maintaining a visible security presence.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deterring
Verb
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Prosecutors also have charged Wang with making criminal threats and dissuading a witness, according to court records.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
30 Sep. 2025
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Sumpter was charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors, including assault likely to produce great bodily injury, battery with serious bodily injury and dissuading a witness, Butte County public records show.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But the real value of such a treaty is its deterrent effect, discouraging countries from developing such weapons.—
LIYAM CHITAYAT,
Foreign Affairs,
28 Aug. 2025
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The effectiveness of the operation, drawn up by the coalition of about 30 countries supporting Ukraine, hinges on the deterrent effect of U.S. airpower or other military equipment that European armed forces do not have, or have only in short supply.—
Lorne Cook,
Fortune,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In fact, immunization is a dicey-enough financial proposition that the administration’s anti-vaccine policies already are discouraging providers from stocking some immunizations.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
3 Oct. 2025
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Before her groundbreaking discoveries made headlines around the world, Goodall endured long, discouraging stretches in the field.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deterring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deterring. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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