oppress

op·press | \ ə-ˈpres

oppressed; oppressing; oppresses

Definition of oppress

1a : to crush or burden by abuse of power or authority The country has long been oppressed by a ruthless dictator. oppressed minorities

b archaic : suppress

2 : to burden spiritually or mentally : weigh heavily upon oppressed by a sense of failure oppress by intolerable guilt

Other Words from oppress Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about oppress

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Choose the Right Synonym for oppress

wrong, oppress, persecute, aggrieve mean to injure unjustly or outrageously. wrong implies inflicting injury either unmerited or out of proportion to what one deserves. a penal system that had wronged him oppress suggests inhumane imposing of burdens one cannot endure or exacting more than one can perform. a people oppressed by a warmongering tyrant persecute implies a relentless and unremitting subjection to annoyance or suffering. a child persecuted by constant criticism aggrieve implies suffering caused by an infringement or denial of rights. a legal aid society representing aggrieved minority groups

Examples of oppress in a Sentence

The country has long been oppressed by a ruthless dictator. They condemned attempts by the government to oppress its citizens. people who have traditionally been oppressed by society

Recent Examples on the Web Colonizers used that same charge of devil-worshipping, Federici continues, to enforce strict gender norms on Peruvian natives, which allowed colonizers to humiliate and oppress them. — Sofia Quaglia, Quartz, "Women are invoking the witch to find their power in a patriarchal society," 31 Oct. 2019 Identify and fight past whatever is oppressing you. — Sølve Sundsbø; Fashion Editor: Patrick Mackie, Harper's BAZAAR, "Angelina Jolie on Her Parenting Style, Being Unpopular in School, and Dealing with Her Emotional Scars," 5 Nov. 2019 That was a really big part of the reason for his drive, this collective of people who lifted the voices of a community that was marginalized and oppressed for so many years. — Bill Goodykoontz, azcentral, "Ralph Cordova, pivotal in the Phoenix arts scene, is dead at 61," 12 Oct. 2019 The hopeless cycle of debt that oppresses people and nations alike is not a law of nature. — Charles Eisenstein, Quartz, "How a game of musical chairs can help explain our broken economy," 27 Aug. 2019 Is this a confession of privilege guilt? Guilt at her complicity in the systems that oppressed the homeless man who stabbed her? — Leslie Jamison, Harper's magazine, "Baggage Claims," 19 Aug. 2019 Although there’s a hint, in what the journalist says about union organizers and teachers, that Jerry’s side has helped oppress. — Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, "George Saunders on the Induced Bafflement of Fiction," 12 Aug. 2019 Roger Holder would later insist that his experience in Coos Bay showed him that black people in the U.S. were oppressed, taking him down the path that led to Western Airlines Flight 701. — oregonlive, "How Coos Bay’s ‘All-American girl’ became a daring skyjacker, then disappeared into 1970s underground," 16 Sep. 2019 The constitutional safeguards the Founders wrote into their document were intended to limit the power, in the nascent democracy, of might to oppress right. — Mike Potemra, National Review, "Born on the Fourth of July," 4 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oppress.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

11 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Oppress.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oppresses. Accessed 21 November 2019.

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More Definitions for oppress

oppress

verb