deterrent

adjective

de·​ter·​rent di-ˈtər-ənt 

-ˈter-;

-ˈtə-rənt,

-ˈte-;

dē-

1

: serving to discourage, prevent, or inhibit : serving to deter

The ads had a deterrent effect on youth smoking.

2

: relating to deterrence

a deterrent view of punishment

deterrent noun

deterrently adverb

Examples of deterrent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The First Circuit agreed with the lower court, holding that FBAR penalties — acknowledged to be partly deterrent in nature — are not subject to the constitutional protection against excessive fines. —Robert Goulder, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024

One area in which this has happened—and another example of the deterrent effect of the threat of total war—is Washington’s deliberate restriction of Ukraine’s ability to attack Russian territory, at least in ways that involve Western weapons. —Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Feb. 2023

Vale responded by arguing that Trump's frauds impacted consumers by inserting false and misleading information into the marketplace, and that Trump's fine has a deterrent effect. —Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2024

By Yian Lee / Bloomberg September 20, 2024 4:10 AM EDT Taiwan’s Constitutional Court upheld the legality of the death penalty but moved to limit its use, in a decision that strikes a balance between keeping the punishment’s deterrent effect and preventing its abuse. —Yian Lee / Bloomberg, TIME, 20 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin deterrent-, deterrens, present participle of deterrēre to deter

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

deterrent

adjective

de·​ter·​rent di-ˈtər-ənt 

-ˈter-

: able or acting to deter

deterrent noun