repress

To repress is to suppress something such as a thought, feeling or emotion.

(verb)

  1. When you keep someone from expressing any dissent, this is an example of a situation where you repress the person.
  2. When you prevent yourself from showing your happiness, this is an example of a situation where you repress your happiness.
  3. When you will not allow yourself to think about a given event, this is an example of a situation where you repress the event.

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See repress in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb

  1. to keep down or hold back; restrain: to repress a sigh
  2. to put down; subdue
  3. to control so strictly or severely as to prevent the natural development or expression of: to repress a child
  4. Psychiatry
    1. to force (ideas, impulses, etc. painful to the conscious mind) into the unconscious
    2. to prevent (unconscious ideas, impulses, etc.) from reaching the level of consciousness

Origin: ME repressen < L repressus, pp. of reprimere: see re- & press

Related Forms:

See repress in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb re·pressed, re·press·ing, re·press·es
verb, transitive
  1. To hold back by an act of volition: couldn't repress a smirk.
  2. To put down by force, usually before total control has been lost; quell: repress a rebellion.
  3. Psychology To exclude (painful or disturbing memories, for example) automatically or unconsciously from the conscious mind.
  4. Biology To block (transcription of a gene) by combination of a protein to an operator gene.
verb, intransitive
To take repressive action.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English repressen

Origin: , from Latin reprimere, repress-

Origin: : re-, re-

Origin: + premere, to press; see per-4 in Indo-European roots

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Related Forms:

  • re·pressˌi·bilˈi·ty noun
  • re·pressˈi·ble adjective

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