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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The plan keeps international credits out of the EU Emissions Trading System, avoiding the risk of depressing carbon prices for European industry. María Mendiluce, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025 Rather than feeling triumphant at how believable ELIZA was, Weizenbaum was depressed by how gullible people seemed to be. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025 Her research has shown that lynchings depressed the rate of patent applications by Black Americans, which could have otherwise contributed to innovation and economic growth. Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 26 Aug. 2025 The very worst position as an individual farmer is to have a poor crop in a year when yields are high nationally, depressing prices. Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 17 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for depress

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Depress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depress. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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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