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# discourage

verb (discourage, discourages, discouraged, discouraging)

«discourage» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To make someone feel less confident or less hopeful. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discourage/#m1)
2. To try to stop someone from doing something by showing them it is not a good idea: «discourage someone from doing». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discourage/#m2)
3. To make something less likely to happen: «Fences discourage burglars.» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discourage/#m3)

### In the lessons

In stories and everyday life, a bad mark can discourage a pupil, but teachers encourage them to keep going. In safety and science, things are done to discourage pests, litter or crime: «Lights discourage burglars», «Netting discourages birds». Phrases: «discourage from», «don't be discouraged», «easily discouraged».

### Examples

- Don't let one bad score discourage you. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discourage/#x1)
- Signs discourage people from dropping litter. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discourage/#x2)
- Her parents discouraged her from swimming in the cold sea. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discourage/#x3)
- Bright lights discourage burglars. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discourage/#x4)
- The rain didn't discourage the fans from coming. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discourage/#x5)
- He was discouraged when his tower fell down again. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discourage/#x6)
- She knew that it was for her boy’s good that he should leave her now, and she must not discourage him just as he was setting out. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discourage/#x7)

### Note

Opposite: «encourage». Pattern: «discourage someone from + -ing» (not «to»). Adjective: «discouraging»/«discouraged»; noun: «discouragement».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «discourage» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/discourage/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«discourage» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/discourage.html) on Mova free.