deterrence

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.

The U.S. excels at deterrence by punishment—the ability to impose costs at range.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

Even though European allies are boosting defense spending, "translating that investment into the military capability needed to assume primary responsibility for conventional deterrence will take time," they said.

From Barron's • May 2, 2026

This theory, codified in Cold War deterrence doctrine, held that matching force with roughly equal force would control the so-called escalation ladder.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Third, the whole idea is malarkey—a half-witted distortion of fairly conventional deterrence theory.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026

The Quakers’ goals were prevention of further harm to society, deterrence, and, by the early nineteenth century, encouragement of prisoners to en-gage in “penitent reflection,” which could result in their personal reformation.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover