deterrent

CEFRC1

/dɪˈtɛɹənt/

noun · adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
noun
Something that makes people less likely to do something.
02
noun
Extra detail
Something that deters.

Examples

Judge Salvador was of the school that thought stiff sentences were a deterrent.
The law's harsh sentence is a deterrent against drinking and driving.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses: 3
Parts of speech: 2
Citations: 5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meaning

Serving to deter, preventing something from happening.

More examples

In context

Along with trial by ordeal, hanging was the most effective deterrent that could be devised in an age without police or prisons.
An extension of the system to serve new housing estates on the outskirts of the city, at an estimated cost of about £4,000,000 a mile, is being considered, but the narrow gauge, small clearances, and short platforms are deterrents.

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A severe punishment can act as an effective blank for potential criminals.

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Nearby

Citations

The word in print, with each source given in full.

An extension of the system to serve new housing estates on the outskirts of the city, at an estimated cost of about £4,000,000 a mile, is being considered, but the narrow gauge, small clearances, and short platforms are deterrents.
1955 January, Charles E. Lee, “The Glasgow Underground Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 23
Along with trial by ordeal, hanging was the most effective deterrent that could be devised in an age without police or prisons.
1999, Robert Lacey, Danny Danziger, The Year 1000: What life was like at the turn of The First Millennium, London: Abacus, published 2000, page 175
The salarians believed the genophage would be used as a deterrent, a position the turians viewed as naive. Once the project was complete, the turians mass produced and deployed it. The krogan homeworld, their colonies, and all occupied worlds were infected.
2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Krogan: Genophage Codex entry
One argument made by proponents of the death penalty is that it is a strong deterrent to murder and other violent crimes, but evidence shows just the opposite. Whereas the last execution in Canada took place in 1962, in 2011 there were 598 murders in Canada and 14,610 in the United States.
2014, Jimmy Carter, “Full Prisons and Legal Killing”, in A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 38
All is well until Treorchy, where the platform is swamped by teenagers who have been attending an event. Around four dozen unescorted 12 to 16 year-olds swarm aboard and begin to run riot through the train. Their behaviour is appalling and the presence of CCTV no deterrent.
2024 November 13, Paul Bigland, “Much to admire... but pockets of neglect”, in RAIL, number 1022, page 48

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Origin

noun

Learned borrowing from Latin dēterrēns, dēterrentem.