repress

verb (1)

re·press | \ ri-ˈpres

repressed; repressing; represses

Definition of repress

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to check by or as if by pressure : curb injustice was repressed

b : to put down by force : subdue repress a disturbance

2a : 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

re-press

verb (2)

\ (ˌ)rē-ˈpres

re-pressed; re-pressing; re-presses

Definition of re-press (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to press again re-press a record

Other Words from repress Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about repress

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Other Words from repress

Verb (1)

repressibility \ ri-ˌpre-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē

\ noun

repressible \ ri-ˈpre-sə-bəl

\ adjective

repressive \ ri-ˈpre-siv

\ adjective

repressively adverb

repressiveness noun

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

Similar appeals to Nicaraguans were reinforced by events in Nicaragua, where Daniel Ortega, the country’s strongman President, has repressed dissent and brutalized opponents. — Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, "The Fight for the Latino Vote in Florida," 16 Sep. 2019 In order to take down the patriarchy, Egyptian-American journalist and activist Mona Eltahawy argues that women need to start embodying the traits they’ve been taught to repress, like being angry, lustful and ambitious. — Annabel Gutterman, Time, "The 42 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2019," 30 Aug. 2019 Namely, Delilah wants the repressed, overly disciplined Stella to sow some wild oats. — Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter, "'How Stella Got Her Groove Back': THR's 1998 Review," 14 Aug. 2019 Get our daily newsletter FATA has been starved of development and repressed for decades—in part, presumably, because its people had little say in how it was run. — The Economist, "Pakistan’s borderlands at last win a say in their own administration," 20 July 2019 Is Larry truly present, or simply giving voice to the desires Dorothy has repressed? — Vox Staff, Vox, "The most thought-provoking books the Vox staff read in 2018," 21 Dec. 2018 But years before, Jacob had watched another son taken from home and forced to attend one of Canada’s notorious residential schools, where indigenous knowledge and traditions were cruelly repressed. — Neil Shea, National Geographic, "A thawing Arctic is heating up a new Cold War," 21 Aug. 2019 Among the many happy consequences, freedom of religion, which had been repressed or circumscribed under communism, was restored. — The Economist, "Church leaders in central and eastern Europe remain surprisingly loth to condemn their old adversary," 11 Aug. 2019 And the organization, which was often brutally repressed by the government, also had a pattern of members occasionally becoming radicalized and leaving for more extreme groups. — Peter Hessler, The New Yorker, "Mohamed Morsi, Who Brought the Muslim Brotherhood to the Egyptian Presidency," 19 June 2019

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