repress

1 of 2

verb (1)

re·​press ri-ˈpres 

repressed; repressing; represses

transitive verb

1

a

: to check by or as if by pressure : curb

injustice was repressed

b

: to put down by force : subdue

repress a disturbance

2

a

: to hold in by self-control

repressed a laugh

b

: to prevent the natural or normal expression, activity, or development of

repressed her anger

3

: to exclude from consciousness

repressed the memory of abuse

4

: to inactivate (a gene or formation of a gene product) by allosteric combination at a DNA binding site

intransitive verb

: to take repressive action

repressibility

ri-ˌpre-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

repressible

ri-ˈpre-sə-bəl 

adjective

repressive

ri-ˈpre-siv 

adjective

repressively adverb

repressiveness noun

re-press

2 of 2

verb (2)

(ˌ)rē-ˈpres 

re-pressed; re-pressing; re-presses

transitive verb

: to press again

re-press a record

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• clamp down (on)
• crack down (on)
• crush
• put down
• quash
• quell
• silence
• slap down
• snuff (out)
• squash
• squelch
• subdue
• suppress

Examples of repress in a Sentence

Verb (1)

Religious groups were severely repressed.

quickly repressed the rebellion in the provincial city and restored order

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

For a country that, again, represses its own citizens in the name of national security and border security, that's an interesting omission. —Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, 20 Nov. 2023

Hawk and Tim are repressed in public, yet behind closed doors their complementary desires come out. —TIME, 23 Oct. 2023

An overwhelming military response can successfully repress a terrorist group. —Audrey Kurth Cronin, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2023

From The Towering Inferno to The Raid to Dredd, stories like this use their settings as embodiments of a hierarchy in which the rich are perched precariously at the top, doing anything in their ample power to ignore and then repress the strivers at the bottom. —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Oct. 2023

Anything to dissociate, to repress the dark memories that woke him at night. —Tyler R. Tynes, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2023

Rather than seeking to repress information, the response should be to ensure that any AI tool offering responses to clinical performance prompts is as accurate and understandable as possible. —Michael L. Millenson and Jennifer Goldsack, STAT, 23 Oct. 2023

While the legislation, Senate Bill 12, does not cite drag specifically, drag performers feared that it was passed with the intention of criminalizing the art form, which has deep ties to the LGBTQ community, and would repress their freedom of expression. —Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 26 Sep. 2023

What rule of law is there in a country where justice is used by the military to repress people? —Baba Ahmed, ajc, 18 June 2023

Verb

Five years later, the album was re-pressed on vinyl. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 20 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French represser, from Latin repressus, past participle of reprimere to check, from re- + premere to press — more at press

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

repress

verb

re·​press ri-ˈpres 

1

a

: to check by or as if by pressure

injustice was repressed

b

: to put down by force : subdue

2

a

: to hold in by self-control

repressed a laugh

b

: to prevent the natural or normal expression, activity, or development of

repress one's anger

3

: to shut out of consciousness

repressed a painful past

repressible

-ˈpres-ə-bəl 

adjective

repressive

-ˈpres-iv 

adjective

Medical Definition

repress

transitive verb

re·​press ri-ˈpres 

1

: to exclude from consciousness

repress conflicts

2

: to inactivate (a gene or formation of a gene product) by allosteric combination at a DNA binding site