depress

verb

de·​press di-ˈpres How to pronounce depress (audio)
dē-
depressed; depressing; depresses

transitive verb

1
obsolete : repress, subjugate
2
a
: to press down
depress a typewriter key
b
: to cause to sink to a lower position
3
: to lessen the activity or strength of
drugs that may depress the appetite
4
: sadden, discourage
don't let the news depress you
5
: to decrease the market value or marketability of
depressible adjective

Examples of depress in a Sentence

The news seemed to depress him a little. I don't mean to depress you, but there's no way we can win. We were all depressed by the loss. You shouldn't let this kind of problem depress you. These changes could depress the economy. Market conditions are likely to depress earnings in the next quarter. depressing the price of a stock Slowly depress the car's brake pedal. Depress the “shift” key on your keyboard. The doctor will depress your tongue and look at your throat.
Recent Examples on the Web Share [Findings] Living near oil and gas development sites depresses people who are trying to get pregnant. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024 In today’s global economy, the effects of high tariffs may not only come from within—a 20% tariff would likely trigger retaliation from other nations, further driving up costs and depressing economic activity. Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 Payroll employment is likely to be depressed, along with industrial production and some measures of consumer spending, in ways that don't reflect the economy's underlying trajectory. Neil Irwin, Axios, 11 Oct. 2024 The October jobs report, although immensely critical, also will be quite noisy: The month’s employment numbers are likely to be depressed by an ongoing Boeing strike as well as the ripple effects from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Alicia Wallace, CNN, 10 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for depress 

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French depresser, from Latin depressus, past participle of deprimere to press down, from de- + premere to press — more at press

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of depress was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near depress

Cite this Entry

“Depress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depress. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

depress

verb
de·​press di-ˈpres How to pronounce depress (audio)
1
a
: to press down
b
: to cause to sink to a lower position
2
: to lessen the activity or strength of
3
4
: to lessen in price or value : depreciate
depressible adjective
depressingly
-iŋ-lē
adverb

Medical Definition

depress

transitive verb
de·​press di-ˈpres How to pronounce depress (audio)
1
: to diminish the activity, strength, or yield of
able to depress irritability of the heart muscle by the use of such a drug as procaine
2
: to lower in spirit or mood

More from Merriam-Webster on depress

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