suppress

American  

[suh-pres] / səˈprɛs /

verb (used with object)

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

   to suppress the Communist and certain left-leaning parties.

2. to do away with by or as by authority; abolish; stop (a practice, custom, etc.).

3. to keep in or repress (a feeling, smile, groan, etc.).

4. to withhold from disclosure or publication (truth, evidence, a book, names, etc.).

5. to stop or arrest (a flow, hemorrhage, cough, etc.).

6. to vanquish or subdue (a revolt, rebellion, etc.); quell; crush.

7. 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.

8. Electricity. to reduce or eliminate (an irregular or undesired oscillation or frequency) in a circuit.

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suppress British  

/ səˈprɛs /

verb

1. to put an end to; prohibit

2. to hold in check; restrain

   I was obliged to suppress a smile

3. to withhold from circulation or publication

   to suppress seditious pamphlets

4. to stop the activities of; crush

   to suppress a rebellion

5. electronics

   1. to reduce or eliminate (unwanted oscillations) in a circuit

   2. to eliminate (a particular frequency or group of frequencies) in a signal

6. 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

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Other Word Forms

• nonsuppressive
  adjective
• nonsuppressively
  adverb
• nonsuppressiveness
  noun
• presuppress
  verb (used with object)
• resuppress
  verb (used with object)
• self-suppressing
  adjective
• self-suppressive
  adjective
• suppresser
  noun
• suppressible
  adjective
• suppressive
  adjective
• suppressively
  adverb
• suppressor
  noun
• unsuppressible
  adjective
• unsuppressive
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Restaurant chains and food-industry giants have tried to find ways to appeal to users of GLP-1 drugs, which suppress people’s appetites.

From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026

Long added she was "conscious always" of the security threat in Northern Ireland, but, "by and large", the police have been able to "suppress and disrupt" such activity.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

The bureau routed payments through false-front entities while assuring the public that its mission was to suppress rather than stimulate violence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Numerous states passed “blue sky laws” to suppress bucket shops, yet the biggest scandal was yet to come.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

But Mariam thought it wise to suppress this protest.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

Related Words

• abolish
• censor
• conceal
• contain
• crack down on
• crush
• curb
• cut off
• muzzle
• overcome
• overthrow
• put an end to
• put down
• quash
• quell
• quench
• repress
• silence
• snuff out