depress
Americanverb (used with object)
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depresses,
present (3rd person singular)
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depressed,
past participle, past
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depressing
present participle
-
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.
-
to lower in amount or value.
-
to put into a lower position.
to depress the muzzle of a gun.
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to press down.
-
Music. to lower in pitch.
verb
-
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
-
to lower the pitch of (a musical sound)
-
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:
Conventional wisdom suggests such discouraging numbers would depress turnout.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
Authors of books with Jewish or Israeli characters say their titles are “review bombed” with 1-star on sites like Goodreads to depress interest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
This could depress demand, buying the EU a little more time to wait for LNG flows to return to normal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
For those who have not been identified, negative feedback from adults and peers can further depress self-esteem.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
He had seen the pilot use it, had seen him depress the switch at his belt, so Brian pushed the switch in and blew into the mike.
From "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen
"As a former police detective, it depresses me to see the state of crime and policing in our capital," Newman said.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
By funneling income and investment toward export industries and away from consumers, this depresses consumption and expands the current account surplus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 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
“This kind of conversation depresses me more than you could possibly imagine,” the young man told him.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
She is more concerned with getting her depressed brother to come on the impending trip to Germany.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
He said 2024 represented the largest annual reduction, save for the pandemic and recession years of 2020 and 2008, when energy use, transportation and economic activity were depressed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
"At first he was depressed," he says, "but we gave him toys to play with and his mood is gradually lifting."
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
“Tower multiples are deeply depressed, and the stocks are looking for a catalyst against a rising-rate backdrop,” Rezaei wrote, adding that the deal “could put some wind back in the TowerCos’ sails.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
I wished I had kept my candle burning: the night was drearily dark; my spirits were depressed.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Wednesday’s incident comes as the wider Emirati economy is already under pressure this year, with the war disrupting oil exports and depressing tourism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
His home being Hollywood—specifically a somewhat dank apartment, rendered in depressing detail by set designer François-Pierre Couture—Mr. Guimarães encounters qualities that are endemic to the place: for instance career envy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Job losses and falling purchasing power have added to industry's woes by depressing consumer spending.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
"I had a little bit of a shortage of time… it becomes very depressing," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
And that’s right, that’s right—God knows it’s depressing.
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
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