1. past tense and past participle of deter; discouraged or prevented from doing something by instilling doubt or fear of the consequences

Examples

• The high cost of tuition deterred many students from applying to the university.
• She was deterred from walking alone at night by recent crime reports.
• The security cameras deterred potential shoplifters.
• Bad weather deterred us from going on the hiking trip.
• He wasn’t deterred by the criticism and continued with his project.
• The steep fine deterred drivers from parking illegally.