suppressed; suppressing; suppresses
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
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 on the Web
That hearing was expected to include Mitchell and her top prosecutors taking the stand to defend their decisions and prove that charging the protesters was not meant to suppress their viewpoints.
—
Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Most of us are socialized not just to suck it up, never to cry or show emotions, but also to suppress, go silent, hide, run away, act as if there is no agony.
—Kevin Powell, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
The case centers on allegations that NASCAR uses monopoly power to suppress competition in the purchase of services provided by racing teams.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Oct. 2025
This architecture suppresses solubility and increases the number of electroactive sites available for ion coordination.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suppress
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Most of us are socialized not just to suck it up, never to cry or show emotions, but also to suppress, go silent, hide, run away, act as if there is no agony.
—Kevin Powell, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
The case centers on allegations that NASCAR uses monopoly power to suppress competition in the purchase of services provided by racing teams.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Oct. 2025
This architecture suppresses solubility and increases the number of electroactive sites available for ion coordination.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suppress
Cite this Entry
“Suppress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suppress. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
suppress
verb
sup·press
sə-ˈpres 
1
: to put down by authority or force
suppress a rebellion
2
a
: to keep from being known
tried to suppress the news
b
: to stop the publication or distribution of
suppressed the test results
3
: to hold back : repress
suppress feelings of jealousy
suppressed a cough
4
: to slow or stop the growth or development of : stunt
Medical Definition
suppress
transitive verb
sup·press
sə-ˈpres
1
: to exclude from consciousness
suppressed anxiety
2
: to restrain from a usual course or action
suppress a cough
3
: inhibit sense 2
suppresses the human immune response—Josie Glausiusz
Josie Glausiusz
especially
: to inhibit the genetic expression of
suppress a mutation
Legal Definition
suppress
transitive verb
sup·press
sə-ˈpres
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
: to suppress evidence
suppressible
adjective
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