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
Five rounds in total, including a music round that often flummoxed but never deterred us.
—
David Oliver, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Not even Hurricane Milton could deter Tom Theophilopoulos from opening a new restaurant.
—Jason Dill
april 28, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
Likewise, keeping rates high can deter buying and restrain price hikes, but can also reduce purchasing power and weaken the job market.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Companion planting with celery can help deter pests and enhance your garden's productivity.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deter
David Oliver, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Not even Hurricane Milton could deter Tom Theophilopoulos from opening a new restaurant.
—Jason Dill
april 28, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
Likewise, keeping rates high can deter buying and restrain price hikes, but can also reduce purchasing power and weaken the job market.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Companion planting with celery can help deter pests and enhance your garden's productivity.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deter
Verb
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In the credit card world, the r/churning subreddit boasts nearly 30,000 weekly visitors, and even has a whole FAQ section about dissuading the average person from engaging in churning, offering several reasons that Fred agrees with.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
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And the Times Magazine suggested the idea of discovering a similar past disparagement clause to the one that plagued HBO might dissuade any network from tackling a future Jackson project.—
Steve Knopper,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And in recent years, the teams have been deployed to discourage fare-skipping on local buses as well.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
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Over time, patterns like these have discouraged Black residents from looking into buying a home, said Shelia Russell-Williams, president of the Real Estate Brokers of Baltimore.—
Lily Carey,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deter. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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