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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

deteriorate

/dɪˈtɪɹ.iə.ɹeɪt/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:03
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dih-TEER-ee-uh-rayt: the strongest beat comes early.

In dih-TEER-ee-uh-rayt, retain both r sounds: one near TEER and one before the final ayt. Keep the intervening vowels lighter than the stressed syllable.

TRY SAYING
The path began to deteriorate after the heavy rain.

APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

What does deteriorate mean?

verb

  1. To make worse; to make inferior in quality or value; to impair.
  2. To grow worse; to be impaired in quality; to degenerate.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/dɪˈtɪɹ.iə.ɹeɪt/

Pronunciation used in the listening tip.

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Other dictionary pronunciations

/diˈtɪɹ.iə.ɹeɪt//dəˈtɪɹ.iə.ɹeɪt//dəˈtɪɹ.i.eɪt/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

When such is the case the powers of the men individually will always deteriorate physically and morally.
Carl von ClausewitzOn WarTranslated by J. J. (James John) GrahamProject Gutenberg ebook #1946
Our institutions will not deteriorate by extension, and our sense of justice will not abate under tropic suns in distant seas.
United States. PresidentsUnited States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches: From Washington to George W. BushProject Gutenberg ebook #925
More book examples (2)
The best thing that can happen then is that their nature should not change, that they should not deteriorate, as is so often the case.
René DoumicGeorge Sand: Some Aspects of Her Life and WritingsTranslated by Alys HallardProject Gutenberg ebook #138
The tillage suffers, the crops deteriorate, this reacts on prices, the ryot sinks lower and lower, and gets more into the grasp of the rapacious money-lender.
James InglisSport and Work on the Nepaul Frontier Twelve Years Sporting Reminiscences of an Indigo PlanterProject Gutenberg ebook #10818