Definition of depress
transitive verb
2a : to press down depress a typewriter keyb : 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
From the M-W Editors
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 of depress from the Web
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Though flattening demand for electricity and cheap natural gas are the main forces depressing wholesale energy prices, the credit means that wind producers can often offer their power to the market at the lowest price.
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Since 1985, and perhaps accelerating in the past 15 years, a socioeconomic slide caused by population shifts, neglect, and a lack of infrastructure investment, such as parks and community centers, thoroughly depressed the area.
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Clearly weighted towards Gitai's own liberal political stance, but incorporating a range of other views too, West of the Jordan River is a dry and sometimes depressing film, but informative and humane too.
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If Nissan sells too many cars to the likes of Hertz and Avis, the oversupply can depress the value of vehicles owned both by regular consumers and the companies.
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Gonzales is described as being depressed and may be suffering from paranoia, police said.
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Authorities had been on the lookout for a missing girl whose family said she had been depressed in the past few months, but she was found Sunday afternoon.
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The Trump administration has taken particular aim at Germany, accusing it of depressing the value of the euro to make its exports more competitive and to undercut American goods.
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Both underwater housings are made of sturdy aluminum, include ergonomic side grips for depressing the shutter release and other common functions and include a leak sensor for you worrywort types.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'depress'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of depress
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
DEPRESS Defined for English Language Learners
depress
playDefinition of depress for English Language Learners
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: to make (someone) feel sad : to make (someone) depressed
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: to decrease the activity or strength of (something)
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: to press (something) down
DEPRESS Defined for Kids
depress
playDefinition of depress for Students
depressed
;depressing
1 : to press down Depress the “enter” key.
2 : to make sad or discouraged Don't let the news depress you.
3 : to lessen the activity or strength of Bad weather had depressed sales.
Medical Dictionary
depress
playMedical Definition of depress
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
Learn More about depress
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See words that rhyme with depress Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for depress Spanish Central: Translation of depress Nglish: Translation of depress for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of depress for Arabic speakers
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