deterrent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While proponents of these cases say that they support and strengthen marriage—serving as a deterrent for bad behavior—most states have scrapped them as relics of a distant past.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
Takahashi says legal action has "a deterrent effect" on online trolls, many of whom he says are in their teens or early 20s.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
Our adversaries or neutral powers may do this, as a deterrent against American aggression.
From Slate • Apr. 8, 2026
Iran has long cultivated militia allies across the Middle East as a way to project power and as a deterrent against attack.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026
Like the majority of American law-enforcement officials, Dewey is certain that capital punishment is a deterrent to violent crime, and he felt that if ever the penalty had been earned, the present instance was it.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
Vocabulary lists containing deterrent
The Book Thief
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"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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This Week in Words: April 14 - 20, 2018
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