Search
Select the dictionary language
to discourage
01
to officially forbid someone from doing a specific activity, usually to prevent it from happening
Transitive: to discourage an activity
Examples
The school discouraged the use of cell phones by implementing a ban on mobile devices during class hours to maintain a focused learning environment.
02
to cause someone to lose enthusiasm, hope, or confidence, often by expressing negativity or criticism
Transitive: to discourage sb
Grammatical Information
Composition
derived
Action verb
Regular
Present tense
discourage
3rd person singular
discourages
Present participle
discouraging
Past simple
discouraged
Past participle
discouraged
Examples
The constant failures began to discourage her, and she started to doubt her abilities.
03
to prevent or persuade someone from taking a particular action or pursuing a specific course of action
Ditransitive: to discourage sb from sth
Examples
I tried to discourage him from quitting his job by highlighting the potential risks and uncertainties.
Lexical Tree
discouraged
discouragement
discouraging
discourage
