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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing suppress

The Giver

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Animal Farm

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

The Maze Runner

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

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

The vacillation in Treasurys following the government’s pledge to suppress longer-duration yields have rattled stock investors, too.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

In OPA1-deficient females, however, its ability to suppress appetite was significantly weaker.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

Under this law, employers are required to take steps to protect workers, such as providing protective respirators and using water to suppress dust, when employees are cutting, grinding or polishing slabs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The UN human rights chief has said he is alarmed by the rise in executions in Iran, with capital punishment continuing to be used "to instil fear among the population and suppress dissent".

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

I try to suppress a smile, but it’s hard.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Warming suppresses upwelling — which normally allows colder, deeper and nutrient-rich ocean water to rise closer to the surface.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

In most cases, the combined effect actually suppresses the growth of cosmic structure.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026

"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

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

For example, in El Niño years the southwest monsoon can deliver suppressed rainfall in South Asia - and so far in 2026 it is running well below normal.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Elected in 2023, Tinubu has used his first term to push through ambitious economic reforms, including ending a costly fuel subsidy that for years had indirectly suppressed prices throughout the economy.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

“I believe the VIX is currently being suppressed by options flows and other dynamics. Those effects should diminish after tomorrow’s expiration,” Kramer said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

Rather than appearing to reactivate because the immune system had been suppressed, these viruses seemed to become active in response to inflammation.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

Instead of sharing these important mathematical discoveries, the Pythagoreans suppressed the knowledge of V2 and the dodecahedron.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

El Nino, a natural climate pattern when sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean become unusually warm, tends to promote hurricane activity in the Pacific while suppressing it in the Atlantic.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Rising memory costs have begun suppressing shipments of computers and smartphones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

The researchers observed that T cells, macrophages, and other immune cells near the tumors shifted from inactive or immune suppressing states into active cancer fighting cells.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

"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

And New York State today has a most impressive record of containing and suppressing the disease.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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