1
as in to depress
to make sad
this gloomy weather is oppressing all of us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to overwhelm
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress
a film about a man who is haunted and oppressed by the secrets of his past
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of oppress
Lopakhin and Varya are pushed together throughout the play, but poor Varya, also born working class, will never be able to break through the part of Lopakhin that still idolizes the very nobility that oppressed his family for generations.
—
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
The trial for Morteza Amiri and Devon Wenger will test the government’s contention that the two men used the power of their badges to intimidate, injure and oppress the people of the city they were supposed to serve.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2025
And because of hundreds of years of history of people who look like Colin oppressing people who look like Michael, Che can also tell white jokes.
—Tony Maglio, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2025
First, students are primed through exposure to narratives that depict a binary world of oppressors and oppressed.
—Kevin Waldman, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppress
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
The trial for Morteza Amiri and Devon Wenger will test the government’s contention that the two men used the power of their badges to intimidate, injure and oppress the people of the city they were supposed to serve.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2025
And because of hundreds of years of history of people who look like Colin oppressing people who look like Michael, Che can also tell white jokes.
—Tony Maglio, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2025
First, students are primed through exposure to narratives that depict a binary world of oppressors and oppressed.
—Kevin Waldman, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppress
Verb
-
And if that is not depressing enough, the EFL will be all over the club’s accounts for next season, so the prospect of transfer embargoes and agreed budgets is very real.—
Rob Tanner,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
-
That rotation itself depresses stock prices further.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
Verb
-
Authorities said rushing water in a nearby creek overwhelmed the area.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
-
Whatever the case, Indiana’s full-court pressure, physicality on the perimeter and timely shooting overwhelmed the Cavs at times and were enough to overcome early and late deficits at other points throughout the series.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
Verb
-
Functions like finance, procurement, supply chain management, case management and HR remain burdened by manual tasks, fragmented systems and siloed data.—
Komal Goyal,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
-
High energy costs are already burdening too many Marylanders, especially in underserved communities.—
Lorig Charkoudian,
Baltimore Sun,
14 May 2025
Verb
-
Beyond the immediate dead, the refugees, destroyed agriculture, loss of economic capacity, all would utterly devastate China.—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
-
Independent cinema—arguably the heart of artistic risk and innovation, would be devastated.—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
Verb
-
Investigators say the group allegedly lured the former business partner back from Italy to access his cryptocurrency account and then kidnapped and tortured him for weeks.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
-
Prosecutors said the adults tortured the children, beating them daily, depriving them of food and strangling them to the point of passing out.—
Nathan Solis,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2025
Verb
-
During a stretch in which the Twins are outscoring opponents 68-29, the team is receiving contributions from just about everyone on the roster while concurrently overcoming the mounting injuries.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
-
Yet amid the devastation, a few glimmers of hope remain—Palestine’s U-20 national women’s team recently won the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Championship, overcoming Jordan 4-2 in a penalty shootout in the final following a 1-1 draw.—
Samindra Kunti,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
Verb
-
Although Kaitlyn Chen was a late third-round pick with an uphill battle to make the Valkyries roster, many women’s basketball fans were saddened to see her not on the final squad list.—
Allison Smith,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
-
On a personal level, the players were saddened for their friend, who will now embark on a long rehabilitation process.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
Verb
-
People were solaced and troubled by history in ways that the United States seemed to have no need for.—
Andrew Moore,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
-
All three of the judges, who sit on the U.S. Court of International Trade, appeared troubled by the Trump administration’s claim that the judiciary may not review the legality of the tariffs at all.—
Steve Banker,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oppress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppress. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share