deter

«deter» in Mova's school dictionary: to make them decide not to do something, often by making… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

verb (deter, deters, deterred, deterring)

meaning for a pupil

1) To deter someone is to make them decide not to do something, often by making them afraid of what will happen. tree →

2) To stop or make something less likely, like a smell that deters insects. tree →

sense in the lessons

Used about safety, rules and nature: signs, fences, cameras and fines deter people from bad acts; some plants deter pests. Phrases: «deter someone from doing something», «deter crime», «not be deterred». It tells the reader why someone did not do something.

examples

• The big fence deters foxes from getting into the chicken run. tree →
• Cameras are put up to deter shoplifters. tree →
• Rain did not deter us from going to the beach. tree →
• Garlic is said to deter some garden pests. tree →
• The fine is meant to deter people from dropping litter. tree →
• Nothing could deter her from finishing the race. tree →
• The most icy water could not deter him from swimming; he could twist and turn like a fish. tree →

note

Double the r before -ed and -ing: deterred, deterring. Noun: deterrent; also «deterrence» (formal). Pattern: deter + someone + from + -ing. It is a slightly formal word; everyday talk says «put off» or «stop».

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «deter» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.