repression
noun
re·pres·sion
ri-ˈpre-shən 
1
a
: the action or process of repressing : the state of being repressed
repression of unpopular opinions
b
: an instance of repressing
racial repressions
2
a
: a mental process by which distressing thoughts, memories, or impulses that may give rise to anxiety are excluded from consciousness and left to operate in the unconscious
b
: an item so excluded
Examples of repression in a Sentence
the state's repression of its citizens
They survived 60 years of political repression.
Recent Examples on the Web
Some view the men's team as complicit in whitewashing the Iranian government's repression and can’t bear to watch the competition.
—
ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
Memorial was founded in the late 1980s to ensure that the victims of the Soviet Union’s political repression would be remembered, and grew to a network of smaller organizations both in Russia and abroad.
—Dasha Litvinova, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
In the two decades that followed, several Quaker, Presbyterian, Catholic and Jewish congregations across America and Canada used their houses of worship as sanctuaries for Central American refugees who were fleeing civil war, government repression and genocide.
—Menika Dirkson, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2026
The situation of prisoners and the regime’s systematic use of the death penalty as a political tool of repression must be made a central condition in any negotiations or engagement with the Islamic Republic.
—Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for repression
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ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
Memorial was founded in the late 1980s to ensure that the victims of the Soviet Union’s political repression would be remembered, and grew to a network of smaller organizations both in Russia and abroad.
—Dasha Litvinova, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
In the two decades that followed, several Quaker, Presbyterian, Catholic and Jewish congregations across America and Canada used their houses of worship as sanctuaries for Central American refugees who were fleeing civil war, government repression and genocide.
—Menika Dirkson, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2026
The situation of prisoners and the regime’s systematic use of the death penalty as a political tool of repression must be made a central condition in any negotiations or engagement with the Islamic Republic.
—Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for repression
Cite this Entry
“Repression.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repression. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
repression
noun
re·pres·sion
ri-ˈpresh-ən
1
: the act of repressing : the state of being repressed
2
: a process of the mind by which painful or disturbing thoughts or desires are kept from conscious awareness
Medical Definition
repression
noun
re·pres·sion
ri-ˈpresh-ən
1
: the action or process of repressing
gene repression
2
a
: a process by which unacceptable desires or impulses are excluded from consciousness and left to operate in the unconscious compare suppression sense c
b
: an item so excluded
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