suppression

noun

sup·​pres·​sion sə-ˈpre-shən 

1

: an act or instance of suppressing : the state of being suppressed

2

: the conscious intentional exclusion from consciousness of a thought or feeling

Synonyms of suppression

• restraint
• repression
• discipline
• inhibition

Examples of suppression in a Sentence

learned that suppression of her angry feelings didn't necessarily make them go away

Recent Examples on the Web

Obama’s response was the violent suppression both of Black Lives Matter protestors and primarily of Indigenous Water Protectors, who protested against the expansion of oil pipelines in Standing Rock land in North Dakota. —Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025

Right now, the cause of the fire is undetermined, and an investigation will begin as soon as the fire suppression has been completed. —Julia Gomez, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025

By contrast, Mangione’s suppression hearing is now pushing into its third week, and over a dozen people have testified so far. —Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025

Miranda Rights At the center of Luigi Mangione’s suppression hearings is a dispute over whether police violated his Miranda rights during his arrest. —Cameron Schoppa, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for suppression

• accession
• aggression
• compression
• concession
• confession
• depression
• digression
• discretion
• expression
• impression
• obsession
• oppression

Medical Definition

suppression

noun

sup·​pres·​sion sə-ˈpresh-ən 

: an act or instance of suppressing: as

a

: stoppage of a bodily function or a symptom

suppression of urine secretion

suppression of a cough

b

: the failure of development of a bodily part or organ

c

: the conscious intentional exclusion from consciousness of a thought or feeling compare repression sense 2a