depressed; depressing; depresses
2
a
: to press down
depress a typewriter key
b
: to cause to sink to a lower position
3
: to lessen the activity or strength of
drugs that may depress the appetite
4
: sadden, discourage
don't let the news depress you
5
: to decrease the market value or marketability of
Synonyms
Examples of depress in a Sentence
The news seemed to depress him a little.
I don't mean to depress you, but there's no way we can win.
We were all depressed by the loss.
You shouldn't let this kind of problem depress you.
These changes could depress the economy.
Market conditions are likely to depress earnings in the next quarter.
depressing the price of a stock
Slowly depress the car's brake pedal.
Depress the “shift” key on your keyboard.
The doctor will depress your tongue and look at your throat.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Since the end of the public health emergency in May, some health insurers have declined to pay for rapid tests, further depressing sales.
—
Helen Branswell and Rachel Cohrs, STAT, 20 Sep. 2023
Many feared the discharges would depress real estate values and drive away sailors, kayakers and swimmers after decades of progress in cleaning up the Hudson River.
—Michael Hill The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 19 Aug. 2023
Rising interest rates depress the value of low rate securities and loans.
—Ron Shevlin, Forbes, 17 July 2023
The Giants drubbing and the Rodgers injury were depressing, Mr. Russo said, but not necessarily cause for alarm since both the Giants and Jets have 16 more games to play in the regular season.
—Christopher Maag, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
First responders had spent the day trying rescue the woman, who police said was there for hours and appeared to be depressed, fatigued and may have taken some kind of medication.
—Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 6 Sep. 2023
The strike will also depress the fun at fan favorite events such as San Diego Comic-Con, usually chock-full of popular actors, writers and directors pitching their movies and TV shows to thousands of coplaying admirers.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 13 July 2023
The rescuer inserts the spray tip into the patient’s nostril and depresses the plunger.
—Noah Weiland, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2023
The bump in military recruitment that occurred after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, has also eased over the past two decades, with the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan potentially further depressing confidence in the military.
—Grace Segers, The New Republic, 23 Aug. 2023
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Helen Branswell and Rachel Cohrs, STAT, 20 Sep. 2023
Many feared the discharges would depress real estate values and drive away sailors, kayakers and swimmers after decades of progress in cleaning up the Hudson River.
—Michael Hill The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 19 Aug. 2023
Rising interest rates depress the value of low rate securities and loans.
—Ron Shevlin, Forbes, 17 July 2023
The Giants drubbing and the Rodgers injury were depressing, Mr. Russo said, but not necessarily cause for alarm since both the Giants and Jets have 16 more games to play in the regular season.
—Christopher Maag, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
First responders had spent the day trying rescue the woman, who police said was there for hours and appeared to be depressed, fatigued and may have taken some kind of medication.
—Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 6 Sep. 2023
The strike will also depress the fun at fan favorite events such as San Diego Comic-Con, usually chock-full of popular actors, writers and directors pitching their movies and TV shows to thousands of coplaying admirers.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 13 July 2023
The rescuer inserts the spray tip into the patient’s nostril and depresses the plunger.
—Noah Weiland, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2023
The bump in military recruitment that occurred after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, has also eased over the past two decades, with the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan potentially further depressing confidence in the military.
—Grace Segers, The New Republic, 23 Aug. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'depress.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near depress
Cite this Entry
“Depress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depress. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
depress
verb
de·press
di-ˈpres 
1
a
: to press down
b
: to cause to sink to a lower position
2
: to lessen the activity or strength of
3
: sadden, discourage
4
: to lessen in price or value : depreciate
depressingly
adverb
-iŋ-lē
Medical Definition
depress
transitive verb
de·press
di-ˈpres
1
: to diminish the activity, strength, or yield of
able to depress irritability of the heart muscle by the use of such a drug as procaine
2
: to lower in spirit or mood
More from Merriam-Webster on depress
Nglish: Translation of depress for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of depress for Arabic Speakers
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