How to Use discourage in a Sentence

discourage

verb
  • Try not to let losing discourage you.
  • That type of behavior ought to be discouraged.
  • The area's dry climate discourages agriculture.
  • He claims the new regulations will discourage investment.
  • Grass helps keep the soil moist and the mix of plants discourages pest outbreaks.
    Aniruddha Ghosal, Fortune Asia, 25 Mar. 2024
  • The first quarter of a mile or so from the trailhead climbs steeply, but don’t be discouraged.
    John Meyer, The Denver Post, 13 May 2024
  • When faced with your true level of progress at present, you could be discouraged and want to give up.
    Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2024
  • Screens are not used in the classroom and are discouraged outside of the classroom as well.
    ​wendy Wisner, Parents, 30 July 2024
  • Lucky for us, Levine is a heel lover herself and doesn’t discourage them.
    Megan Soria, elle.com, 22 Apr. 2023
  • Not even a 5-25 record in her first year at Hebron could discourage her.
    Dallas News, 17 Jan. 2023
  • The ban is an attempt to discourage an arms race in a field where the U.S. is very much ahead and has everything to lose.
    Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 27 Apr. 2022
  • The best way to go about it is to not discourage them and show them other options that will also look great on them.
    Akili King, Essence, 17 Jan. 2024
  • Yet, that did not discourage those Phoenicians who sought a place to cool off that summer.
    Donna Reiner, The Arizona Republic, 17 June 2022
  • Have you even been discouraged by failure when trying to reach a goal?
    Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
  • For a while the lights at the car wash were turned off at night to discourage groups from gathering, but now they are being left on again, the man said.
    Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 July 2024
  • Rather than being discouraged by the judge’s dismissal, Alioto told Ars that the gamers were pleased by Corley’s order.
    Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 21 Mar. 2023
  • Getting rid of fun colors and flavors could be a way to discourage kids from using them.
    Julia Landwehr, Health, 10 May 2023
  • The short-lived but heavy rain did not appear to discourage Phoenix Pride revelers, some of whom could be seen running to the gates as they got poured on.
    Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 16 Oct. 2022
  • Then the loss of such a unit can discourage young people from moving to the area, driving birth numbers even lower.
    Kff Health News, The Mercury News, 27 July 2024
  • New York officials have tried to discourage honking since at least the 1930s.
    Erin Nolan, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
  • At first, my parents tried to discourage me from being in show business.
    Marc Myers, WSJ, 10 May 2022
  • Restricting the right to set prices only serves to discourage more units from being built.
    Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2022
  • Hanging the lights on trees or bushes is discouraged, as the deer often rub their antlers against plants or tree trunks to sharpen them during the rut.
    Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
  • The think tank discouraged Sunak from paying subsides in order to bring business back.
    Meghann Dyke, Washington Examiner, 4 June 2023
  • Cars are not banned but tamed, with street designs that discourage their use for all but essential trips.
    Doug Gordon, The New Republic, 19 Apr. 2023
  • To avoid discouraging students, some school districts did away with D and F grades.
    Karin Klein, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
  • If things don’t go according to plan, don’t be discouraged.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 1 Feb. 2025
  • Paich: Working on that film discouraged me a little bit from working on films.
    Max Evry, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2023
  • But don’t let the Louvre’s imperfect welcome discourage you.
    Elaine Sciolino, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2025
  • Failure, on the other hand, would discourage other business leaders already nervous about the current political climate.
    Justin Worland, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discourage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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