suppress

[ suh-pres ]

/ səˈprɛs /

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See synonyms for: suppress / suppressed / suppresses / suppressing on Thesaurus.com

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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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 press¹)

OTHER WORDS FROM suppress

sup·press·i·ble, adjectivesup·pres·sive, adjectivesup·pres·sive·ly, adverbsup·pres·sor, sup·press·er, noun

non·sup·pres·sive, adjectivenon·sup·pres·sive·ly, adverbnon·sup·pres·sive·ness, nounpre·sup·press, verb (used with object)re·sup·press, verb (used with object)self-sup·press·ing, adjectiveself-sup·pres·sive, adjectiveun·sup·press·i·ble, adjectiveun·sup·pres·sive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use suppress in a sentence

In 1916 the Easter Rising had been suppressed within a week, but in the hostile years that followed, the rebels’ goal of Irish independence gained widespread — and violently contested — support.
The Banned Irish Revolution Film Starring a Real Soldier|Fiona Zublin|November 16, 2020|Ozy
If they censor, if they try to suppress any misinformation, they’re accused of bias.
Podcast: How online misinformation murdered the truth|Anthony Green|October 29, 2020|MIT Technology Review
DeepCT assigns a higher weight to important terms and suppresses low importance or off-topic terms in the passage.
Could Google passage indexing be leveraging BERT?|Dawn Anderson|October 29, 2020|Search Engine Land
Long lines at the polls might be caused by bandwidth issues with online check-in systems, rather than deliberate efforts to suppress voters.
Voters should resist blaming every election glitch on political interference|Amy Nordrum|October 29, 2020|MIT Technology Review

Withdrawal from cocaine is associated with changes in the readout of hundreds of genes involved in rewiring neural circuits and altering synaptic connections, but in the rats whose dopaminylation was prevented, these changes were suppressed.
The Epigenetic Secrets Behind Dopamine, Drug Addiction and Depression|R. Douglas Fields|October 27, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Unfortunately, that means suppressing fire or cutting down all the pretty uninfected trees can cause mistletoe outbreaks.
Mistletoe is the Vampire of Plants|Helen Thompson|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A secular police state well practiced in suppressing internal challenges.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Dec. 14|PunditFact.com|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
People who are constantly suppressing the urge to make the most obscene, offensive jokes that spring to mind.
The Case Against Cards Against Humanity: Is Max Temkin a Horrible Person? (Does It Matter?)|Arthur Chu|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead of suppressing turnout, the law seemed to spur people to go to the polls.
Cleveland, LeBron James, and the 2016 Republican Convention|Lloyd Green|July 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Plus, he crafted the Lyons-Seward Treaty, joining the U.S and Great Britain in suppressing the international slave trade.
P.J. O’Rourke: Orwell Was Right|P. J. O’Rourke|March 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And who could have been the bridegroom except the one interested in suppressing Molly's secret, whatever it might be?
In the Onyx Lobby|Carolyn Wells
"My room has three windows in the daytime," said Anderson, with difficulty suppressing a nervous laugh.
Masterpieces of Mystery, Vol. 1 (of 4)|Various
Susan Simpson strolled sedately,Stifling sobs, suppressing sighs.
The Book of Humorous Verse|Various
He had often said she was the only woman he could talk to without suppressing a yawn.
The Continental Monthly, Vol 3 No 3, March 1863|Various
This negative, this suppressing character of attention is not a chance by-product, it is most essential.
Psychotherapy|Hugo Mnsterberg

British Dictionary definitions for suppress

suppress

/ (səˈprɛs) /

verb (tr)

to put an end to; prohibit

to hold in check; restrainI was obliged to suppress a smile

to withhold from circulation or publicationto suppress seditious pamphlets

to stop the activities of; crushto suppress a rebellion

electronics

to reduce or eliminate (unwanted oscillations) in a circuit
to eliminate (a particular frequency or group of frequencies) in a signal

psychiatry

to resist consciously (an idea or a desire entering one's mind)
to exercise self-control by preventing the expression of (certain desires)Compare repress (def. 3)

Derived forms of suppress

suppresser, nounsuppressible, adjective

Word Origin for suppress

C14: from Latin suppressus held down, from supprimere to restrain, from sub- down + premere to press

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

suppress

Origin of suppress

OTHER WORDS FROM suppress

Words related to suppress

How to use suppress in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for suppress

Derived forms of suppress

Word Origin for suppress