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# 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deter/#m1)

2) To stop or make something less likely, like a smell that deters insects. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deter/#m2)

### 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deter/#x1)
- Cameras are put up to deter shoplifters. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deter/#x2)
- Rain did not deter us from going to the beach. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deter/#x3)
- Garlic is said to deter some garden pests. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deter/#x4)
- The fine is meant to deter people from dropping litter. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deter/#x5)
- Nothing could deter her from finishing the race. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deter/#x6)
- The most icy water could not deter him from swimming; he could twist and turn like a fish. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deter/#x7)

### 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](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deter/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.