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Definition of deter verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

deter

verb
 
/dɪˈtɜː(r)/
 
/dɪˈtɜːr/
[transitive, intransitive]
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they deter
 
/dɪˈtɜː(r)/
 
/dɪˈtɜːr/
he / she / it deters
 
/dɪˈtɜːz/
 
/dɪˈtɜːrz/
past simple deterred
 
/dɪˈtɜːd/
 
/dɪˈtɜːrd/
past participle deterred
 
/dɪˈtɜːd/
 
/dɪˈtɜːrd/
-ing form deterring
 
/dɪˈtɜːrɪŋ/
 
/dɪˈtɜːrɪŋ/
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  1. deter (somebody) (from something/from doing something) to make somebody decide not to do something or continue doing something, especially by making them understand the difficulties and unpleasant results of their actions
    • I told him I wasn't interested, but he wasn't deterred.
    • The high price of the service could deter people from seeking advice.
    see also deterrent
    Extra Examples
    • The present system does little to deter corporate crime.
    • These new rules are likely to deter people from coming forward for help.
    • Will this harsher punishment effectively deter criminals?
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • hardly
    • effectively
    • easily
    verb + deter
    • be likely to
    • be unlikely to
    • be enough to
    preposition
    • from
    See full entry
    Word Originmid 16th cent.: from Latin deterrere, from de- ‘away from’ + terrere ‘frighten’.
See deter in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee deter in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
pepper
noun
 
 
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