deterrence

noun/dɪˈtɛrəns/

Frequency rank: #13,151 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

the act of discouraging or preventing an action through fear of consequences.

Illustration for the English word “deterrence”

Example sentence

Nuclear weapons are intended to provide deterrence against enemy attacks.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 13,101–13,200