depress
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make sad or gloomy; lower in spirits; deject; dispirit.
- Synonyms:
- sadden, discourage, dishearten
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to lower in force, vigor, activity, etc.; weaken; make dull.
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to lower in amount or value.
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to put into a lower position.
to depress the muzzle of a gun.
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to press down.
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Music. to lower in pitch.
verb
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to lower in spirits; make gloomy; deject
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to weaken or lower the force, vigour, or energy of
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to lower prices of (securities or a security market)
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to press or push down
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to lower the pitch of (a musical sound)
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obsolete to suppress or subjugate
Synonym Usage
See oppress.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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depressibilitynoun
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overdepressverb (used with object)
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depressibleadjective
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undepressibleadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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depresssimple
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depressessimple
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have depressedperfect
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has depressedperfect
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am depressingprogressive
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are depressingprogressive
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is depressingprogressive
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have been depressingperfect progressive
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has been depressingperfect progressive
Past
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depressedsimple
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had depressedperfect
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was depressingprogressive
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were depressingprogressive
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had been depressingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of depress
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English depressen, from Anglo-French, Old French depresser, from Latin dēpressus “pressed down” (past participle of dēprimere, equivalent to de- de- + -primere, combining form of premere “to press”); see pressure
Explanation
Depress means to lessen the activity or power of something. If you want to depress the spread of poverty, you need to find ways to slow it down, like by bringing education and skill-building resources into the poorest communities. The word depress comes from the Old French word depresser, meaning "put down by force." Depress can be used literally to describe something you push down, like when you depress the handle on a toaster to lower the bread. It can also describe a more figurative lowering, such as the lowering of a person's emotional state. Attending a funeral is likely to depress you, and watching a sad movie afterwards will just sink your spirits even more.
Vocabulary lists containing depress
Hatchet
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The U.S. could run a big trade deficit in the second quarter, and large trade gaps depress GDP.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
“These additional allowances would not only endanger our emissions targets, they would also flood the auction market and depress cap-and-invest revenues,” said Pam Odell of the group Climate Action California.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
The conflict also threatens to depress the global economy, which could curb orders from regions around the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
What’s more, high prices for oil and other commodities could depress consumer spending and force businesses to finally lay off lots of workers.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 17, 2026
Listen to the engine, depress the clutch, shift, gas, release, steer, check your mirrors, signal your turn, look twice for motorcycles.
From "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell
Extreme heat depresses economic activity by restricting work and disrupting transport.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
In the macro economy, uncertainty depresses economic activity, increases stock market volatility and reduces returns.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 27, 2026
“It is the duration of a shock, not its magnitude, that structurally depresses valuations,” he says.
From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026
Jonny's prediction: It depresses me how good Sunderland are this season.
From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2025
I think of him, and immediately it depresses me.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
They claimed they have noticed attendees who feel anxious and depressed leave the festival feeling "inspired and motivated" with the "answer they came for".
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Perception of the five basic taste qualities was depressed by GLP-1 drugs, a study published in a 2025 volume of the Physiology & Behavior journal found.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Comcast shares, which have been depressed for months, traded down to around $23.65 in mid-day trading.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Bank of America’s global automobile-industry note, authored by lead analyst Horst Schneider and team, analyzed May sales data and observed that the biggest drag on the sector worldwide was the depressed Chinese market.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
The whole state depressed him, the blue lines representing highways that intersected towns whose names and destinies were mysteries to him.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Jobs are hard to find for the young and unemployed; high mortgage rates are depressing home sales; and, of late, inflation has again been rampant.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
There is a depressing familiarity to the conversation among MPs about their safety.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
What’s most depressing about all these stories is that they pointedly highlight the problem with contemporary American media.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
We felt lucky, but Chris now is dealing with it again, which is mind boggling and so depressing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
And that’s right, that’s right—God knows it’s depressing.
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
