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
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.
Recent Examples on the Web
More than 1 in 8 people ages 12 and up in the US have been depressed in recent years, according to data published Wednesday by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.
—
Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2025
In basic economics, a surplus of labor supply can depress wages.
—Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
Doing so depresses a lever at the back of the lock, which automatically causes the arms to swing back in and lock together around the far side of the post.
—New Atlas, 15 Apr. 2025
Democrats have argued that the tariffs will be devastating for the U.S. economy, pushing up consumer prices and depressing trade.
—Riley Beggin, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for depress
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2025
In basic economics, a surplus of labor supply can depress wages.
—Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
Doing so depresses a lever at the back of the lock, which automatically causes the arms to swing back in and lock together around the far side of the post.
—New Atlas, 15 Apr. 2025
Democrats have argued that the tariffs will be devastating for the U.S. economy, pushing up consumer prices and depressing trade.
—Riley Beggin, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for depress
Cite this Entry
“Depress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depress. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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