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

Kelanic told BBC Verify that any Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden "will suppress all international traffic not just Saudi-bound vessels".

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Cage, who wrote music to suppress his ego, had a problem with Ono’s exhibitionism.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Officials have forecast a below-normal Atlantic hurricane season this year, which runs from June 1 to November 30, because of the return of El Nino conditions that suppress hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

In a mouse model, the researchers tested lipid nanoparticles filled with genetic material designed to restore the body's ability to suppress tumor growth.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

Hermione, however, answered: Harry thought that answering questions correctly was such a deeply ingrained habit she could not suppress the urge.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

"I am fed up of going on stuff that masks and suppresses the symptoms rather than treating the actual problem," he said.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 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

Borrowers who are highly qualified are often more likely to overpay because their lack of approval anxiety suppresses the motivation to comparison shop, according to the research.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 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

Tagoe suppresses his tic often because his neck jerking around every other minute is not only uncomfortable, but it also makes him look unapproachable and wild.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

Pyziur also noted that oil prices have been suppressed in part because China slashed its own imports of oil.

From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026

The Schwab strategists began pondering this three years ago as what they called the “great moderation” era — two decades of disinflation, suppressed volatility and reduced supply shocks — was over.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

Badakhshon Tursunova -- born when Tajikistan was still part of the Soviet Union, which suppressed religion -- was named after a region her mother came from.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

When the researchers suppressed production of the protein in mouse muscle tissue, the animals showed major improvements in body composition.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026

But his insights were suppressed, his influence on history made minor.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

"The world to a lot of us is very loud, very noisy, very crowded, very bright, very smelly, and it's exhausting suppressing your response to all of this and carrying on."

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

Visa barriers and broader geopolitical concerns are suppressing international travel demand, the report said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026

By suppressing PCSK9, the treatment helps cells absorb more cholesterol, reducing the amount circulating in the blood and limiting buildup in the arteries.

From Science Daily ● May 1, 2026

Maintaining the existing communication risks suppressing interest rates when inflation starts to rise and more volatile outcomes for financial markets if more aggressive corrective signaling is needed.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 27, 2026

He looked over at me, suppressing a grin.

From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys

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