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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as in deterrent
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Recent Examples of deterring
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
This tactic assists in safeguarding profitability without deterring customers, yet extended tariff pressures could challenge even Home Depot’s robust domestic sourcing advantage.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
This guide provides practical advice on deterring geese from invading your property.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2025
The district found success in deterring weapons on campus during its testing in Maryvale High School, according to a report from the district.
—Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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
This tactic assists in safeguarding profitability without deterring customers, yet extended tariff pressures could challenge even Home Depot’s robust domestic sourcing advantage.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
This guide provides practical advice on deterring geese from invading your property.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2025
The district found success in deterring weapons on campus during its testing in Maryvale High School, according to a report from the district.
—Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deterring
Verb
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Security experts Fox News Digital has spoken with remain divided on how effective secondary tariffs will be in dissuading Putin’s war ambitions, which NATO allies have pose an existential threat to Europe.—
Caitlin McFall,
FOXNews.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Allowing China and Russia entry would strengthen other autocratic regimes, reducing the deterrent influence of democratic alliances.—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Verb
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Those concerns were not discouraging people online and around me from embracing the reformer machine.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
7 Sep. 2025
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This would include more stoutly discouraging the delusion and possibly being completely upfront and clamping down on it.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deterring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deterring. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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