1
as in suppressing
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
quickly repressed the rebellion in the provincial city and restored order
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stifling
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
you can't repress your feelings forever, so tell her how you feel about her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of repressing
The Murillo-Ortega dictatorship has been accused of repressing the Nicaraguan people — especially Catholic and LGBTQ citizens.
—
Jake Shore, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
People fed up with rolling blackouts have staged sporadic protests in recent days, banging pots and shouting slogans against the government, rare demonstrations in a country known for repressing dissent.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2026
The White House imposed sanctions on Larijani in January for his role in repressing nationwide protests in the country, which saw thousands killed in the violent government crackdown, rights group say.
—Yarden Segev, NBC news, 17 Mar. 2026
After surviving a 1981 assassination attempt that paralyzed his right hand, Khamenei served as Iran’s president, brutally repressing dissent.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 10 Mar. 2026
Despite these differences, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is resorting to a familiar playbook for repressing protests, blending a passing acknowledgement of his system’s shortcomings with maximum deflection and defiance.
—Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
This week is pushing you to speak up and stop repressing your truth.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Critics, though, have argued that these efforts are serving to distract from the country’s record of repressing free speech and dissent, as well as human rights violations, which have been widely reported.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Sunny, for example, feels solidarity with his working-class immigrant neighbors in Queens while repressing the fact that his family funded his education with black money.
—Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025
Jake Shore, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
People fed up with rolling blackouts have staged sporadic protests in recent days, banging pots and shouting slogans against the government, rare demonstrations in a country known for repressing dissent.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2026
The White House imposed sanctions on Larijani in January for his role in repressing nationwide protests in the country, which saw thousands killed in the violent government crackdown, rights group say.
—Yarden Segev, NBC news, 17 Mar. 2026
After surviving a 1981 assassination attempt that paralyzed his right hand, Khamenei served as Iran’s president, brutally repressing dissent.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 10 Mar. 2026
Despite these differences, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is resorting to a familiar playbook for repressing protests, blending a passing acknowledgement of his system’s shortcomings with maximum deflection and defiance.
—Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
This week is pushing you to speak up and stop repressing your truth.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Critics, though, have argued that these efforts are serving to distract from the country’s record of repressing free speech and dissent, as well as human rights violations, which have been widely reported.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Sunny, for example, feels solidarity with his working-class immigrant neighbors in Queens while repressing the fact that his family funded his education with black money.
—Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repressing
Verb
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Countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Belarus, Bahrain, and Pakistan round out the top five, with all of them largely suppressing tools like VPNs and secure messaging apps that could allow people to coordinate without being surveilled by national authorities.—
Alan Henry,
PC Magazine,
8 May 2026
-
Contraceptive pills, hormonal IUDs, birth-control implants, and Plan B all work by suppressing ovulation.—
Andréa Becker,
The Atlantic,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Birds eat and digest the seeds, then the plant grows in dense stands and blocks sunlight from reaching other young plants, overcrowding or stifling other species.—
Sarah Everett,
The Spruce,
11 May 2026
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Before Sunday’s game, the Charge had struggled to generate a ton of offense in general against a stifling Boston defense.—
Hailey Salvian,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Government forces brought reinforcements into Suqaylabiyah, quelling the violence.—
Omar Albam,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
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In December, the Mouse House pledged to invest $1 billion in OpenAI and entered a three-year licensing agreement for allowing over 200 Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars characters’ likenesses to be used in Sora, quelling some of the text-to-video app’s brushups with copyright law.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Symptoms of salmonella poisoning Symptoms of salmonella poisoning usually start six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
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The brand's Bella stretch jeans are equally suitable, designed to fit without swallowing small frames.—
Tanya Sharma,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Officers then shot her with a Taser, subduing her enough to take her into custody, police said.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
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Trump thought the Secret Service did an excellent job subduing the gunman but the White House is reviewing security for major events for the country's 250th anniversary.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Repressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repressing. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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