Synonyms

suppress

American

[suh-pres] / səˈprɛs /

verb (used with object)

to put an end to the activities of (a person, body of persons, etc.).

to suppress the Communist and certain left-leaning parties.
to do away with by or as by authority; abolish; stop (a practice, custom, etc.).
to keep in or repress (a feeling, smile, groan, etc.).
to withhold from disclosure or publication (truth, evidence, a book, names, etc.).
to stop or arrest (a flow, hemorrhage, cough, etc.).
to vanquish or subdue (a revolt, rebellion, etc.); quell; crush.
Genetics. to keep (a gene) from being expressed.

Let's say that future genetic engineers discover a gene for suicidal depression, and learn how to suppress the gene or adjust it.
Electricity. to reduce or eliminate (an irregular or undesired oscillation or frequency) in a circuit.

suppress British

/ səˈprɛs /

verb

to put an end to; prohibit
to hold in check; restrain

I was obliged to suppress a smile
to withhold from circulation or publication

to suppress seditious pamphlets
to stop the activities of; crush

to suppress a rebellion
electronics
1. to reduce or eliminate (unwanted oscillations) in a circuit
2. to eliminate (a particular frequency or group of frequencies) in a signal
psychiatry
1. to resist consciously (an idea or a desire entering one's mind)
2. to exercise self-control by preventing the expression of (certain desires) Compare repress

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of suppress

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English suppressen, from Latin suppressus (past participle of supprimere “to press down”), equivalent to sup- sup- + pressus ( see press ¹)

Explanation

To suppress something means to curb, inhibit, or even stop it. If the sound of your boss moving in his chair sounds like gas, you’re going to have to learn how to suppress your giggles. In the strictest sense, suppress means to put an end to something by force, like a government that suppresses the right to free speech by shutting down the newspapers or the military suppressing an uprising by rebel forces. But we also use suppress in less serious terms to describe an attempt to muffle or stifle something, such as suppressing a sneeze in a quiet theater or suppressing your true emotions to not cause a teary scene.

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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:

suppress suppresses suppressed suppressing

As the Supreme Court has held, the government may not “use the power of the State to punish or suppress disfavored expression.”

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026

Such clothing contains antimicrobial coatings to suppress odor-causing bacteria.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

The instrument combines optics, masks, self-flexing mirrors, and sensors that are designed to suppress the overwhelming glare of a star.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

But our investigation has uncovered further allegations against Bechi, 46, and evidence suggesting that the school and the family attempted to suppress them.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

“My heart is in such turmoil,” I cried, unable to suppress my tears.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Enveda said it found the drug by decoding the chemistry released by the body during intense physical activity, identifying a hormone that naturally suppresses appetite.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Warming suppresses upwelling — which normally allows colder, deeper and nutrient-rich ocean water to rise closer to the surface.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Heat domes are large areas of high pressure, where sinking air suppresses development of precipitation and clouds, allowing heat to build up over days and weeks.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

Similar to its injection form, the tablets contain semaglutide that works by mimicking the actions of a natural hormone called GLP-1 that suppresses appetite and slows digestion to keep you feeling fuller and less hungry.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

The clerk suppresses a look of horror before reaching for the tray on the very bottom rack.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

The bacteria reduced iron buildup and lowered lipid peroxidation in the worms, changes that suppressed aging-related ferroptosis.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 25, 2026

After discovering his suppressed memories, Cramer began teaching meditation classes for others seeking to unlock the mysteries of the mind.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

"Every time I looked at him on the page, I discovered something more. He's not somebody that broadcasts his feelings. He's suppressed them for such a long time."

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Upstart rivals—the DuMont Television Network in the 1940s and ’50s, then cable TV and satellite in the 1960s—were suppressed, while only a handful of viable stations were assigned to more than 80 TV channels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

He felt the beginning of an awful anger, an unbearable sadness, suppressed it.

From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara

For the X-59 it's about suppressing sonic booms on a budget and nothing else.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

"By identifying this specific protective pathway, we may be able to develop more targeted therapeutic approaches that restore intestinal balance instead of broadly suppressing immune responses."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

When he began practicing urology in the 1980s, the common misunderstanding was that testosterone injections caused prostate cancer, further suppressing research and treatment of testosterone deficiency.

From Slate ● Sep. 13, 2026

The findings suggest that suppressing PCSK9 with PPRHs can increase the availability of LDL receptors and help cells pull more cholesterol out of circulation.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

And I can still see it now, the shudder she seemed to be suppressing, the real dread that one of us would accidentally brush against her.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023