as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
the homeowner put up a fence around his garden as a deterrent for animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in preventive
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of deterrent
Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Feb. 2023
Vale responded by arguing that Trump's frauds impacted consumers by inserting false and misleading information into the marketplace, and that Trump's fine has a deterrent effect.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2024
By Yian Lee / Bloomberg September 20, 2024 4:10 AM EDT
Taiwan’s Constitutional Court upheld the legality of the death penalty but moved to limit its use, in a decision that strikes a balance between keeping the punishment’s deterrent effect and preventing its abuse.
—Yian Lee / Bloomberg, TIME, 20 Sep. 2024
And for many soldiers, the threat of termination was deterrent enough.
—Sarah A. Topol, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deterrent 
Adjective
One area in which this has happened—and another example of the deterrent effect of the threat of total war—is Washington’s deliberate restriction of Ukraine’s ability to attack Russian territory, at least in ways that involve Western weapons.
—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Feb. 2023
Vale responded by arguing that Trump's frauds impacted consumers by inserting false and misleading information into the marketplace, and that Trump's fine has a deterrent effect.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2024
By Yian Lee / Bloomberg September 20, 2024 4:10 AM EDT
Taiwan’s Constitutional Court upheld the legality of the death penalty but moved to limit its use, in a decision that strikes a balance between keeping the punishment’s deterrent effect and preventing its abuse.
—Yian Lee / Bloomberg, TIME, 20 Sep. 2024
And for many soldiers, the threat of termination was deterrent enough.
—Sarah A. Topol, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deterrent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deterrent
Noun
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There is a path to preventing such a wrong turn, even if the path is strewn with obstacles and is uphill all the way.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
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Their change of heart reflects the inconvenient practical obstacles to suddenly cutting off access to a popular platform.—
Johanna Costigan,
Forbes,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Leave a comment View Comments Wen: The same lifestyle changes that people with the diseases should implement are also the best preventive measures for people who want to forestall these diseases.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN,
17 Jan. 2025
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Still, with a few preventive steps, parents can greatly reduce the risk of their family falling ill.—
Lia Miller,
Parents,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Fetterman is a co-sponsor of the Laken Riley Act — an immigration bill aimed at curbing crime by migrants — which cleared its first hurdle toward passage in the Senate last week, when 33 Senate Democrats voted with Republicans in the 84-9 vote Thursday.—
Alex Gangitano,
The Hill,
13 Jan. 2025
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One persistent hurdle is maintaining staff engagement in a high-turnover industry.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes,
11 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The film champions the idea that age is no barrier to new adventures, showcasing how passion and friendship can reignite a sense of purpose.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes,
11 Jan. 2025
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The localizer is a barrier at the end of the runway that helps with aircraft landings and was blamed for exacerbating the crash’s severity.—
Paolo Confino,
Fortune Asia,
11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Questions, anyone? Going into the season, the Rams defensive line and pass rush was regarded as a major question mark.—
Gary Klein,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2025
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Pairing Graham with Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker along the defensive line could solve many of their problems.—
John Mac Ghlionn,
Newsweek,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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According to reports, Rocko, born Rodney Ramone Hill Jr., was arrested last month and charged with disorderly conduct, misdemeanor willful obstruction of law enforcement officials, and criminal trespass.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
15 Jan. 2025
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Trump was ultimately charged with four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of an official proceeding.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
The Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Some warned that British forces were vulnerable to the same embarrassment as their American allies, who were tarred in 2010 by the leaking of military logs documenting six years of the Afghanistan war by WikiLeaks, the antisecrecy group established by Julian Assange.—
Mark Landler,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2025
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The irony, of course, is that the source of the embarrassment is Trump.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near deterrent
Cite this Entry
“Deterrent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deterrent. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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