Meaning & use
deterring
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“deterring” is a form of “deter”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Making someone less willing to do something, especially by showing the risk or difficulty involved.
Grammar: Takes an object and usually from plus an -ing form: deterring people from littering.
Patterns
- deter someone from doing something
- deter someone
High fees are deterring many students from applying.
The warning sign is deterring hikers from the unstable cliff.
Her injury did not deter her from entering the race.
verbtransitive
Making something bad less likely to happen, by creating a fear of the consequences.
Grammar: The object is the unwanted thing: deterring crime, deterring attacks.
Patterns
- deter something
- deter crime
Bright street lights are deterring crime in the neighborhood.
The alarm system is intended for deterring burglars.
Strong defenses are meant for deterring attacks.
Word forms
| base form | deter |
|---|---|
| third person singular | deters |
| past tense | deterred |
| past participle | deterred |
Common combinations
- deter crime
- Cameras help deter crime.
- deter someone from
- The cost deterred him from buying the car.
- effectively deter
- Heavy fines effectively deter dumping.
- deter potential buyers
- The smell may deter potential buyers.
- deter would-be thieves
- A guard dog deters would-be thieves.
Synonyms and how they differ
- discourage
- Discourage is milder and can mean taking away confidence, while deter usually means putting someone off by fear of consequences.
- dissuade
- Dissuade means talking someone out of a plan, while deter can work without any conversation, for example through a risk.
- put off
- Put off is informal and often describes a feeling of dislike, whereas deter is more formal and about consequences.
- prevent
- Prevent means to stop completely, while deter only makes something less likely.
Opposites
Word family
- deterrent noun
- something that discourages action
- deterrent adjective
- having the power to discourage
- deterrence noun
- the policy or effect of discouraging attack or crime
- deterred adjective
- put off from doing something
Commonly confused: deterring or determine?
deterring vs determine
Determine looks similar but means to decide or find out. Deter always means to discourage.
Practice
The steep price is deterring customers ____ buying the new model.
Choose one answer.
Deter takes from plus an -ing form: deter someone from doing something. To, against and of are not used with this verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “deterring”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.