a thing that makes someone less likely to do something (= that deters them) Hopefully his punishment will act as a deterrent to others. the country's nuclear deterrents (= nuclear weapons that are intended to stop an enemy from attacking)
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
NAmE//dɪˈtərəns//
noun [uncountable] (formal) His view is that prison sentences must be long enough to satisfy the requirements both of retribution and deterrence. a deterrent effectSee deterrent in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Check pronunciation: deterrent