Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

deterrent

Syllabification: (de·ter·rent)
Pronunciation: /diˈtərənt/

Translate deterrent | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of deterrent

noun

  • a thing that discourages or is intended to discourage someone from doing something.
  • a nuclear weapon or weapons system regarded as deterring an enemy from attack.

adjective

  • able or intended to deter:the deterrent effect of heavy prison sentences

Derivatives

deterrence

noun

Origin:

early 19th century: from Latin deterrent- 'deterring', from the verb deterrere (see deter)

deterrent in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of deterrent in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

Word of the day

secretagogue

/ sɪˈkriːtəgɒg /
noun
a substance which promotes secretion …