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definitions

depress

[dih-pres]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR depress ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to make sad or gloomy; lower in spirits; deject; dispirit.
to lower in force, vigor, activity, etc.; weaken; make dull.
to lower in amount or value.
to put into a lower position: to depress the muzzle of a gun.
to press down.
Music. to lower in pitch.

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RELATED WORDS

dismay, discourage, slow, dampen, dispirit, sadden, disturb, bother, upset, afflict, reduce, lower, dishearten, damp, daunt, trouble, sap, dull, weaken, impair

Origin of depress

1275–1325; Middle English depressen < Anglo-French, Old French depresser < Latin dēpressus pressed down (past participle of dēprimere, equivalent to de- de- + -primere, combining form of premere to press); see pressure
Related formsde·press·i·ble, adjectivede·press·i·bil·i·ty, nouno·ver·de·press, verb (used with object)un·de·press·i·ble, adjective

Synonyms for depress

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR depress ON THESAURUS.COM
1. dishearten, discourage, sadden. See oppress. 3. devalue, cheapen.

Antonyms for depress

4. raise, elevate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for depress

Contemporary Examples of depress

Historical Examples of depress

British Dictionary definitions for depress

depress

verb (tr)

to lower in spirits; make gloomy; deject
to weaken or lower the force, vigour, or energy of
to lower prices of (securities or a security market)
to press or push down
to lower the pitch of (a musical sound)
obsolete to suppress or subjugate
Derived Formsdepressible, adjective

Word Origin for depress

C14: from Old French depresser, from Latin dēprimere from de- + premere to press 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for depress
v.

early 14c., "put down by force," from Old French depresser, from Late Latin depressare, frequentative of Latin deprimere "press down," from de- "down" (see de-) + premere "to press" (see press (v.1)).

Meaning "push down physically" is from early 15c.; that of "deject, make gloomy" is from 1620s; economic sense of "lower in value" is from 1878. Related: Depressed; depressing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for depress

depress

[dĭ-prĕs′]

v.

To lower in spirits; deject.
To cause to drop or sink; lower.
To press down.
To lessen the activity or force of something.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.