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

Some of the footage was played during a dayslong suppression hearing last December, when the defense argued evidence recovered during the arrest should be suppressed because Mangione’s backpack was improperly searched. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Another act of retaliation, the lawsuit says, is that after applying for assistant chief of technical services, Dougan was rejected for allegedly failing to meet a new suppression-credential requirement. — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026

Voter suppression On the other end of this are families who are pushed to the side. — Stephanie A. Dhuman, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026

By the time Morris arrived, firefighters inside had determined that a fire that started in a fryer was over, but the sprinklers from Kopper Kettle’s fire-suppression system had flooded everything. — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 29 Sep. 2026

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