suppress

play

verb sup·press \ sə-ˈpres \

Definition of suppress

transitive verb

1 :to put down by authority or force :subdue

suppress a riot

2 :to keep from public knowledge: such as

a :to keep secret

b :to stop or prohibit the publication or revelation of

suppress the test results

3 a :to exclude from consciousness

b :to keep from giving vent to :check

suppressed her anger

4 obsolete :to press down

5 a :to restrain from a usual course or action

suppress a cough

b :to inhibit the growth or development of

6 :to inhibit the genetic expression of

suppress a mutation

—

suppressibility

play \-ˌpre-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

—

suppressible

play \-ˈpre-sə-bəl\ adjective

—

suppressive

play \-ˈpre-siv\ adjective

—

suppressiveness

play \-nəs\ noun

See suppress defined for English-language learners

See suppress defined for kids

Examples of suppress in a Sentence

Political dissent was brutally suppressed.
The governor tried to suppress the news.
He struggled to suppress his feelings of jealousy.
She could not suppress her anger.
I had to suppress an urge to tell him what I really thought.

Recent Examples of suppress from the Web

Sykes wrote that no reasonable jury could conclude that the dentists fabricated their opinions and suppressed evidence of their lies.

— bruce vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Man wrongfully imprisoned 23 years on bogus bite mark evidence can sue dentists, detective," 18 Aug. 2017
Two additional suits accuse the panel of breaching open meeting laws; another suit filed July 18 by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund claims the commission is a pretext for future efforts to suppress minority voter participation.

— andrew m harris, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Vote Panel Vice Chair Questions Clinton Popular Vote Win," 19 July 2017
But opponents say this mail-in election suppresses the vote, is profoundly undemocratic and could lead to burdensome taxes.

— lynn horsley, kansascity, "KC voters face three streetcar proposals this summer," 18 July 2017
If there has been any surge of sympathy for him, it has been suppressed.

— The Economist, "A Nobel laureate’s fateLiu Xiaobo, China’s best-known political prisoner, has died," 15 July 2017
Childress over the last year sought to dismiss the charges, suppress statements and also sought sanctions against prosecutors because of alleged evidence discovery and other issues, court records show.

— dan campana, Elgin Courier-News, "Son's trial for father's Burlington Township murder set to begin Monday," 13 July 2017
Critics have cited little evidence of widespread voter fraud and have contended the commission is attempting to advance efforts to suppress voter turnout.

— rick pearson, chicagotribune.com, "Letter: Illinois election officials won't send voter information sought by Trump-formed panel," 7 July 2017
And while some of those recollections are Rose’s, some are her mother’s, long suppressed and now bubbling to the surface as the dementia advances.

— susann cokal, New York Times, "Storms Transport a Woman Into a Stranger’s Life and Her Own Past," 30 June 2017
Unlike conventional liquid termiticides, which provide a chemical barrier to termites, baits are designed to suppress or eliminate the termite colonies.

— bill hanna, star-telegram, "Exterminating rare termites in Fort Worth home takes extreme measures," 27 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of suppress

Middle English, from Latin suppressus, past participle of supprimere, from sub- + premere to press — more at press

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

suppress Synonyms

Synonyms

burke, cover (up), hush (up)

Antonyms

bare, disclose, display, divulge, expose, reveal, show, uncloak, uncover, unmask, unveil

Related Words

black out, censor, gag, muzzle, silence; quash, repress, smother, spike, squash, squelch, stifle, strangle, throttle

Near Antonyms

debunk, expose, reveal, show up, uncloak, uncover, unmask; blab, disclose, divulge, spill, tell, unveil; broadcast, circulate, publish, spread; describe, narrate, recite, recount, rehearse, relate, report

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

SUPPRESS Defined for English Language Learners

suppress

play

verb

Definition of suppress for English Language Learners

: to end or stop (something) by force
: to keep (something) secret : to not allow people to know about or see (something)
: to not allow yourself to feel, show, or be affected by (an emotion)

SUPPRESS Defined for Kids

suppress

play

verb sup·press \ sə-ˈpres \

Definition of suppress for Students

suppressed; suppressing

1 :to put down (as by authority or force) :subdue

Police suppressed a riot.

2 :to hold back :repress

The girls could hardly suppress a smile.

Medical Dictionary

suppress

play

transitive verb sup·press \ sə-ˈpres \

medical Definition of suppress

1 :to exclude from consciousness

suppressed anxiety

2 :to restrain from a usual course or action

suppress a cough

3 :inhibit 2

suppresses the human immune response
—Josie Glausiusz

; especially :to inhibit the genetic expression of

suppress a mutation

—

suppressibility

play \-ˌpres-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē\ noun plural -ties

—

suppressible

play \-ˈpres-ə-bəl\ adjective

Law Dictionary

suppress

play

transitive verb sup·press \ sə-ˈpres \

legal Definition of suppress

1 :to put down by authority or force

2 a :to keep secret

b :to stop or prohibit the publication or revelation of

3 a :to exclude (illegally obtained evidence) from use at trial

suppress narcotics found in violation of the right against unreasonable search and seizure

b :to fail to disclose (material evidence favorable to a defendant) in violation of due process

accused the prosecution of suppressing evidence

— compare brady material

intransitive verb

:to suppress evidence

—

suppressible

adjective

—

suppression

play \-ˈpre-shən\ noun

Learn More about suppress

See words that rhyme with suppress Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for suppress Spanish Central: Translation of suppress Nglish: Translation of suppress for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of suppress for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up suppress? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

suppress

Definition of suppress

suppressibility

suppressible

suppressive

suppressiveness

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of suppress in a Sentence

Recent Examples of suppress from the Web

Origin and Etymology of suppress

suppress Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Psychology Terms

SUPPRESS Defined for English Language Learners

suppress

Definition of suppress for English Language Learners

SUPPRESS Defined for Kids

suppress

Definition of suppress for Students

Medical Dictionary

suppress

medical Definition of suppress

suppressibility

suppressible

Law Dictionary

suppress

legal Definition of suppress

suppressible

suppression

Learn More about suppress

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Words of the Year: 1066