repress
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re·press
(rĭ-prĕs′)v. re·pressed, re·press·ing, re·press·es
v.tr.
1. To hold back or prevent by an act of volition: couldn't repress a smirk.
2.
a. To put down or subdue by force: repress a rebellion.
b. To end, limit, or restrain, as by intimidation or other action: repress a heresy; repress inflation.
3. Psychology To exclude (painful or disturbing memories, for example) automatically or unconsciously from the conscious mind.
4. Biology
a. To prevent (the transcription of a gene or the synthesis of a protein) by the combination of a protein with an operator gene.
b. To prevent or limit the synthesis of (a protein).
v.intr.
To take repressive action.
[Middle English repressen, from Latin reprimere, repress- : re-, re- + premere, to press; see per- in Indo-European roots.]
re·press′i·bil′i·ty n.
re·press′i·ble adj.
Usage Note: Repress and suppress have similar meanings, but there are subtle differences that are worth paying attention to. Both share the general sense of holding back or subduing something, but repress suggests keeping something under control to maintain or regulate order, while suppress suggests a more active curtailment, an active fight against an opposing force. Thus, The government repressed the rebellion implies that the government always maintained control and that the rebellious forces never posed a serious threat to governmental power before being put down, while The government suppressed the rebellion suggests that a significant rebellion was under way and that the government had to react strongly to put an end to it. Similarly, one might repress (rather than suppress) a smirk in order to maintain a serious appearance, and one would take a medicine that suppresses (rather than represses) a cough in order to reduce its severity. · Both words also see use in psychology, and here a similar distinction prevails. Repress generally means "to exclude painful or disturbing memories automatically or unconsciously from the conscious mind." Suppress means "to exclude unacceptable desires or thoughts deliberately from the mind." Using repress to express a conscious effort, as in For years he tried to repress his frightful memories, is thus incorrect.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
repress
(rɪˈprɛs)vb (tr)
1. to keep (feelings, etc) under control; suppress or restrain: to repress a desire.
2. to put into a state of subjugation: to repress a people.
3. (Psychoanalysis) psychoanal to banish (thoughts and impulses that conflict with conventional standards of conduct) from one's conscious mind
[C14: from Latin reprimere to press back, from re- + premere to press1]
reˈpresser n
reˈpressible adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
re-press
(ˈriˈprɛs)v.t., v.i.
to press again.
[1870–75]
re•press
(rɪˈprɛs)v.t.
1. to check or inhibit (actions or desires).
2. to keep down or suppress (anything objectionable).
3. to quell (disorder, sedition, etc.).
4. to reduce (persons) to subjection.
5. to suppress (memories, emotions, or impulses) unconsciously.
v.i. 6. to initiate or undergo repression.
[1325–75; Middle English < Latin repressus, past participle of reprimere=re- re- + primere to press1]
re•press′i•ble, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
repress
Past participle: repressed
Gerund: repressing
| Imperative |
|---|
| repress |
| repress |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | repress - put down by force or intimidation; "The government quashes any attempt of an uprising"; "China keeps down her dissidents very efficiently"; "The rich landowners subjugated the peasants working the land" |
| 2. | repress - conceal or hide; "smother a yawn"; "muffle one's anger"; "strangle a yawn" | |
| 3. | repress - put out of one's consciousness psychiatry, psychological medicine, psychopathology - the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders swallow - keep from expressing; "I swallowed my anger and kept quiet" | |
| 4. | repress - block the action of change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
repress
verb
1. control, suppress, hold back, bottle up, check, master, hold in, overcome, curb, restrain, inhibit, overpower, keep in check People who repress their emotions risk having nightmares.
control release, encourage, express, let out, give free rein to
control release, encourage, express, let out, give free rein to
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
repress
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَكْبِت
potlačit
undertrykke
bæla niîur
nuslopinimasnuslopintirepresijarepresinisrepresyvumas
apslāpētapspiest
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
repress
[rɪˈprɛs] vt (= suppress) [+ desire, emotion, anger] → réprimer
(= oppress) [+ person] → réprimer
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
repress
vt revolt, population, emotions, desires → unterdrücken; laugh, sneeze → unterdrücken, zurückhalten; (Psych) → verdrängen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
repress
(rəˈpres) verb to keep (an impulse, a desire to do something etc) under control. He repressed a desire to hit the man.
reˈpression (-ʃən) nounreˈpressive (-siv) adjective
severe; harsh.
reˈpressiveness nounKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
repress
v. reprimir.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
repress
vt (psych) reprimirEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.