Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

deterrent

 noun
     
de‧ter‧rent [countable]
1 something that makes someone less likely to do something, by making them realize it will be difficult or have bad results:
The small fines for this type of crime do not act as much of a deterrent.
deterrent to/for/against
Window locks are an effective deterrent against burglars.
the deterrent effect of prison sentences
2

nuclear deterrent

PMW the nuclear weapons that a country has in order to prevent other countries from attacking it
—deterrence noun [uncountable]
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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