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# deterrent

«deterrent» in Mova's school dictionary: **something that makes people decide not to do a thing…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a deterrent, deterrents); adjective (a deterrent effect)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A deterrent is something that makes people decide not to do a thing, because of the trouble or danger it would bring. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deterrent/#m1)

2) As an adjective: having that effect, as in «a deterrent effect». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deterrent/#m2)

3) (formal) Weapons a country keeps so that others are afraid to attack it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deterrent/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

Used in safety, rules, law and nature (an animal's bad taste is a deterrent to predators). Phrases: «act as a deterrent», «a strong deterrent», «a deterrent to crime». It tells the reader why something is in place: to stop something before it happens.

### examples

- A loud alarm is a good deterrent to burglars. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deterrent/#x1)
- Bright colours on a frog act as a deterrent to birds. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deterrent/#x2)
- The fine for parking there is a strong deterrent. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deterrent/#x3)
- Spikes on the wall are a deterrent to climbers. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deterrent/#x4)
- The teacher hoped detention would be a deterrent. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deterrent/#x5)
- A dog barking is a deterrent for strangers. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deterrent/#x6)

### note

Spelling: one r in «deter», but «deterrent» has double r. Countable: a deterrent. Do not confuse with «detergent» (soap for washing).

### In the corpora

- ["The deterrent" is the British official way to say nuclear weapons, the most destructive bombs ever made.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/26-war-and-the-military/21/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «deterrent» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deterrent/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.