1
as in to frustrate
to lessen the courage or confidence of
I didn't let losing discourage me from trying again
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2
as in to dissuade
to steer (a person) from an activity or course of action
the higher fines may help discourage drivers from speeding on the highway
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Examples of discourage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Employment prospects for people with disabilities are discouraging.
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Kody Boye, USA TODAY, 18 Oct. 2024
Mallory is then discouraged by her partner’s team from seeking medical treatment for hemorrhaging for fear of being spotted in public.
—Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 17 Oct. 2024
Cantrell Dumas, director of derivatives policy for the advocacy group Better Markets, told CNBC that his organization was concerned that someone might try to move the prediction markets on Election Day to discourage voters.
—Jesse Pound, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2024
Judges are expected to be nonpartisan and their campaign ethics guidelines discourage candidates for the office from expressing political views, party affiliations or critiquing their opponents.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for discourage 
Kody Boye, USA TODAY, 18 Oct. 2024
Mallory is then discouraged by her partner’s team from seeking medical treatment for hemorrhaging for fear of being spotted in public.
—Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 17 Oct. 2024
Cantrell Dumas, director of derivatives policy for the advocacy group Better Markets, told CNBC that his organization was concerned that someone might try to move the prediction markets on Election Day to discourage voters.
—Jesse Pound, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2024
Judges are expected to be nonpartisan and their campaign ethics guidelines discourage candidates for the office from expressing political views, party affiliations or critiquing their opponents.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for discourage
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discourage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Discourage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discourage. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
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