Synonyms of suppress

suppress

verb

sə-ˈpres 

1

as in to stifle

to keep from being publicly known

the government tried to suppress the truth about that incident

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stifle
• censor
• cover (up)
• silence
• hush (up)
• quash
• throttle
• repress
• muzzle
• burke
• squelch
• strangle
• squash
• smother
• gag
• spike
• black out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reveal
• expose
• uncover
• unmask
• disclose
• tell
• show up
• divulge
• debunk
• spill
• unveil
• publish
• spread
• circulate
• uncloak
• broadcast
• relate
• describe
• report
• blab
• recite
• narrate
• recount
• rehearse

2

as in to swallow

to refrain from openly showing or uttering

he managed to suppress a scream at the sight of the dead mouse

suppressed her anger

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stifle
• swallow
• repress
• contain
• smother
• control
• choke (back)
• manage
• hold back
• strangle
• submerge
• quash
• quell
• pocket
• govern
• curb
• sink
• check
• muffle
• squelch
• bridle
• bottle up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• express
• release
• take out
• unleash
• vent
• loose

3

as in to halt

to hold back the normal growth of

pruning helps suppress buds at the ends of developed branches and encourages new growth elsewhere

Synonyms & Similar Words

• halt
• diminish
• stop
• shrink
• block
• catch
• stay
• impede
• stem
• stall
• obstruct
• stunt
• dwarf
• check
• arrest
• hold back
• hold up
• still
• balk
• downsize

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• promote
• encourage
• forward
• advance
• foster
• boost
• nurture
• nourish

4

as in to quell

to put a stop to (something) by the use of force

nothing could suppress the rising tide of protest against the dictator's latest injustices

Synonyms & Similar Words

• quell
• subdue
• repress
• quash
• stifle
• squelch
• destroy
• crush
• overcome
• silence
• extinguish
• sit on
• crack down (on)
• squash
• snuff (out)
• clamp down (on)
• put down
• slap down
• quench
• demolish
• throttle
• obliterate
• smother
• dominate
• ruin
• decimate
• annihilate
• douse
• exterminate
• strangle
• subjugate
• wipe out
• put out
• overwhelm
• conquer
• vanquish
• overpower
• devastate
• wreck
• desolate
• smash
• waste
• nuke
• rub out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• help
• assist
• support
• aid
• back
• provoke
• stir
• promote
• encourage
• abet
• incite
• forward
• prop up
• cultivate
• foster
• advance
• foment
• instigate
• further
• nurture
• whip (up)
• nourish

5

as in to conceal

to keep secret or shut off from view

the defense attorney is openly accusing the prosecutor of attempting to suppress vital evidence

Synonyms & Similar Words

• conceal
• hide
• obscure
• cover
• disguise
• mask
• cloak
• blot out
• veil
• overshadow
• curtain
• block
• bury
• occult
• belie
• paper over
• blanket
• screen
• smother
• enshroud
• shroud
• camouflage
• obstruct
• cover (up)
• occlude
• darken
• whitewash
• gloss (over)
• gild
• shade
• eclipse
• varnish
• becloud
• overcast
• cloud
• bedim
• befog

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• show
• disclose
• reveal
• expose
• display
• uncover
• divulge
• present
• unveil
• bare
• unmask
• bring out
• clarify
• uncloak
• illuminate
• publish
• advertise
• spread
• proclaim
• publicize
• get out
• broadcast
• air

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of suppress

El Niño can suppress upwelling and cut off the supply of zooplankton, small fish and other prey items. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 30 July 2026

Their individual choices were often suppressed to the demands of communal honor and state policy, revealing how women’s bodies and identities became contested territory during and after the partition. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026

Comey's lawyers also asked the court to suppress evidence from warrants for Comey's accounts, and to force the government to disclose the grand jury proceedings that led to his indictment. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 29 July 2026

Decisions to suppress fires and decisions to not allow indigenous burning. — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 29 July 2026