depress

verb de·press \ di-ˈpres , dē- \

Definition of depress

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

play \-ˈpre-sə-bəl\ adjective

See depress defined for English-language learners

See depress defined for kids

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

Every doctor my mom saw thought that she was depressed, stressed, or menopausal.

— as told to stephanie booth, Health.com, "This Bride Planned Her Wedding in a Month So Her Mom With Alzheimer’s Disease Could Watch Her Say ‘I Do’," 17 Aug. 2017
Of course, one-year returns are fleeting, and the city’s advantage is fragile: Like other pension plans, the system actually lost money in calendar year 2016, when markets were depressed in advance of U.S. elections.

— joseph n. distefano, Philly.com, "Betting on stocks, Philly pension fund reports a very good year," 14 Aug. 2017
Following a stream of depressing revelations about a lack of reliability in the field, lots of researchers are dedicating themselves to improving the discipline’s rigor.

— cathleen o'grady, Ars Technica, "There’s a debate raging in science about what should count as “significant”," 4 Aug. 2017
Except, this battle for Montauk’s soul is not just relegated to a few loud parties thrown by a bleakly depressing dating app.

— richard lawson, Vanities, "Tinder Wreaks Havoc in the Hamptons," 2 Aug. 2017
The buildup of alarming results has been depressing, Martel and Pasmans acknowledge.

— erik stokstad, Science | AAAS, "A fungus is attacking Europe’s most beloved salamander. It could wreak havoc if it gets to North America," 19 July 2017
But oyster beds were hit hard by the massive BP oil spill in 2010, crabs are under pressure from wetland loss, and cheap foreign imports have depressed local seafood prices.

— ellen wulfhorst, The Christian Science Monitor, "Rising water and insurance rates threaten Louisiana's Cajun culture," 5 July 2017
Wild bees are thought to be more vulnerable than honey bees to neonicotinoids; some earlier studies showed that exposed wild bees and bumble bees have depressed reproductive potential.

— erik stokstad, Science | AAAS, "Controversial pesticides can decimate honey bees, large study finds," 29 June 2017
Other environmental problems, possibly several of them intertwined, appear to be keeping the population depressed, according to a NMFS recovery plan issued last year.

— yereth rosen, Alaska Dispatch News, "Is the Cook Inlet beluga population stable or in danger? Depends on whom you ask.," 29 June 2017

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year