deter meaning
deter :
to discourage, to prevent
verb
▪ The signs deter people from entering the area.
▪ The signs discourage people from entering the area.
▪ Good security can deter thieves.
▪ Good security can prevent thieves.
paraphrasing
▪ discourage – prevent
▪ prevent – stop
▪ inhibit – stop
▪ hinder – delay
Pronunciation
deter [dɪˈtɝː]
The stress is on 'ter' and sounds like 'di-ter'.
Common phrases and grammar about deter
deter - Common meaning
verb
to discourage, to prevent
Part of Speech Changes for "deter"
▪ deterrent (noun) – something that discourages action
▪ deterrence (noun) – the act of deterring
Common Expressions with "deter"
▪ deter from doing something – discourage from action
▪ deter potential thieves – prevent possible thefts
▪ deter crime – discourage criminal activities
▪ deter investors – discourage financial backers
Important examples of deter in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC vocabulary questions, deter is often used to express discouraging actions or preventing something from happening.
Example of a confusing word: defer (to postpone)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC grammar questions, deter is used as a transitive verb requiring an object.
deter
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
deter crime
'discourage criminal activities', used when discussing safety measures.
deter someone from doing something
means 'to discourage a person from performing an action'.
Differences between similar words and deter
deter
,
discourage
differences
Deter is used to prevent an action by discouraging it, while discourage is used to make someone less enthusiastic about something.
deter
,
prevent
differences
Deter means to stop something from happening by discouraging it, while prevent means to stop something from happening entirely.
Words with the same origin as deter
The origin of deter
The word 'deter' comes from the Latin 'deterrere', meaning 'to frighten away'.
Word structure
It has the prefix 'de-' (away), root 'terr' (to frighten), and no suffix, so 'deter' means 'to frighten away'.
Words with the same origin
The root of deter is 'terr' (to frighten). Words with the same root include 'terror', 'territory', and 'terrible'.
