Meaning & use
deter
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To make someone less willing to do something, usually by showing that it will be risky or costly.
Grammar: Takes an object and usually from plus -ing: deter thieves from breaking in.
Patterns
- deter someone from doing something
- deter someone
Bright lights can deter burglars from approaching a house.
The high price did not deter customers from lining up on opening day.
Heavy fines are meant to deter drivers from using their phones.
verbtransitivemilitary
To prevent an attack or bad behavior by threatening serious consequences.
Grammar: Often used in security contexts with a threat as the subject: nuclear weapons deter an enemy.
Patterns
- deter aggression
- deter an attack
A strong army can deter an invasion without ever firing a shot.
The alliance exists to deter aggression against its members.
Strict penalties help deter fraud in the banking sector.
Word forms
| third person singular | deters |
|---|---|
| past tense | deterred |
| past participle | deterred |
| -ing form | deterring |
Common combinations
- deter crime
- More street patrols may deter crime in the neighborhood.
- deter someone from applying
- The long form deterred many people from applying.
- deter potential buyers
- The cracked ceiling could deter potential buyers.
- deter aggression
- Treaties are designed to deter aggression.
- easily deterred
- She is not easily deterred when she believes in a project.
Synonyms and how they differ
- discourage
- Discourage is a softer word that can mean simply making someone lose confidence, while deter usually involves a fear of risk or cost.
- dissuade
- Dissuade implies persuading someone with words or reasoning, whereas deter can work through a threat or obstacle.
- prevent
- Prevent means to stop something completely, while deter only makes someone less likely to try.
- put off
- Put off is the casual phrasal verb and often suggests mild dislike, while deter is more formal and suggests risk.
Opposites
Word family
- deterrent noun
- something that discourages people from acting
- deterrence noun
- the policy of preventing attack through threat of retaliation
- deterring adjective
- discouraging action, often used as a verb form
- undeterred adjective
- not discouraged by difficulties or warnings
Commonly confused: deter or detour? deter or deterrent?
deter vs detour
A detour is a different route taken to avoid a problem, while deter is a verb meaning to discourage someone from acting.
deter vs deterrent
A deterrent is the thing that discourages people, while deter is the verb for what it does.
Practice
The cold weather did not ______ the fans from camping outside the stadium.
Choose one answer.
Deter takes the pattern deter someone from doing something. Detour is a different word, and prevent and discourage need different structures here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “deter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.