From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdeterde‧ter /dɪˈtɜː $ -ˈtɜːr/ ●○○ verb (deterred, deterring) [transitive] PERSUADEto stop someone from doing something, by making them realize it will be difficult or have bad results → deterrent The company’s financial difficulties have deterred potential investors.deter somebody from (doing) something The security camera was installed to deter people from stealing.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say put someone off rather than deter someone:Don’t let a few problems put you off.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
deter• This path isolates me well from casual visitors, but true friends are not deterred.• The unpleasant taste the drug produces is used to deter alcoholics from drinking.• But true salesmen are unlikely to be deterred by mere realism.• Neither was deterred by the fact that the inevitable visceral animus they are fueling among voters has five more months to fester.• The new alarm system should deter car thieves.• It is not clear whether the death penalty deters crime.• Furthermore, there is great danger that people from such backgrounds will be deterred from applying for educational courses in the future.• Their very oddity deterred him from doing so.• Punitive damages are designed to punish and deter misconduct.• Set too low, it would do little to deter speculation in the event of a crisis.• After all, how can it deter when few are noticing?deter somebody from (doing) something• This can deter your reference from answering. 4.• Every time we deter one person from becoming a criminal, we will save the taxpayers thousands of dollars.• Reviews instances in which the Agency's activities have complicated matters or deterred developers from going ahead.• But your job is not to deter people from having meetings, merely to ensure that the necessary ones are fully productive.• But he did not let such hardship deter him from his dreams.• Nothing shall deter him from killing the White Whale.• His mood also deterred him from ringing Dottie Banks.• Planning may also deter purchasers from undertaking opportunistic acquisitions for short term motives without regard to long term strategic aims.Origin deter (1500-1600) Latin deterrere, from terrere “to frighten” 