suppress

1 to keep from being publicly known the government tried to suppress the truth about that incident Synonyms burke, cover (up), hush (up) Related Words black out, censor, gag, muzzle, silence; quash, repress, smother, spike, squash, squelch, stifle, strangle, throttle Near Antonyms debunk, expose, reveal, show up, uncloak, uncover, unmask; blab, disclose, divulge, spill, tell, unveil; broadcast, circulate, publish, spread; describe, narrate, recite, recount, rehearse, relate, report

2 to refrain from openly showing or uttering he managed to suppress a scream at the sight of the dead body suppressed her anger Synonyms choke (back), hold back, pocket, repress, sink, smother, stifle, strangle, submerge, swallow Related Words control, govern, manage; bridle, check, curb, quash, quell; bottle up, contain; muffle, squelch Near Antonyms express, loose, release, take out, unleash, vent

3 to hold back the normal growth of pruning helps suppress buds at the ends of developed branches and encourages new growth elsewhere Synonyms dwarf, stuntRelated Words arrest, catch, check, halt, hold up, stall, stay, still, stop; balk, block, hold back, impede, obstruct, stem; diminish, downsize, shrinkNear Antonyms advance, boost, encourage, forward, foster, nourish, nurture, promote

4 to put a stop to (something) by the use of force nothing could suppress the rising tide of protest against the dictator's latest injustices Synonyms clamp down (on), crack down (on), crush, put down, quash, repress, silence, slap down, snuff (out), squash, squelch, subdue, quellRelated Words douse (also dowse), extinguish, put out, quench; smother, stifle, strangle, throttle; annihilate, decimate, demolish, desolate, destroy, devastate, nuke, rub out, ruin, smash, waste, wreck; exterminate, obliterate, wipe out; conquer, dominate, overcome, overpower, overwhelm, subdue, subjugate, vanquishNear Antonyms abet, aid, assist, back, help, prop up, support; foment, incite, instigate, provoke, stir, whip (up); advance, cultivate, encourage, forward, foster, further, nourish, nurture, promote

5 to keep secret or shut off from view the defense attorney is openly accusing the prosecutor of attempting to suppress vital evidence Synonyms belie, blanket, blot out, cloak, conceal, cover, curtain, disguise, enshroud, mask, obscure, occult, paper over, screen, shroud, hide, veilRelated Words bury, camouflage, cover (up), smother; gild, gloss (over), varnish, whitewash; becloud, bedim, befog, block, cloud, darken, eclipse, obstruct, occlude, overcast, overshadow, shadeNear Antonyms bring out, present; clarify, illuminate; advertise, air, broadcast, get out, proclaim, publicize, publish, spreadAntonyms bare, disclose, display, divulge, expose, reveal, show, uncloak, uncover, unmask, unveil