1
as in to suppress
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
quickly repressed the rebellion in the provincial city and restored order
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stifle
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
you can't repress your feelings forever, so tell her how you feel about her
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of repress
The export controls aim to prevent the Chinese government from developing a variety of weapons from biological to nuclear and to limit China's ability to surveil people and repress human rights, according to Commerce.
—
Maria Curi, Axios, 2 Dec. 2024
Few would lament the end of the country’s current government, especially those who have been repressed by it for 40 years.
—Richard Nephew, Foreign Affairs, 2 Jan. 2025
Donald Trump’s return to the presidency is expected to end four years of tight regulatory oversight (if not overreach, by some critics’ assessments), setting free the animal spirits repressed amid post-Peak Streaming pullbacks, strikes and other complications.
—David Bloom, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
Trump has spoken repeatedly of his plans to use the American military domestically: for policing the border, deporting millions of undocumented immigrants, repressing protests.
—Kori Schake, The Atlantic, 30 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for repress
Maria Curi, Axios, 2 Dec. 2024
Few would lament the end of the country’s current government, especially those who have been repressed by it for 40 years.
—Richard Nephew, Foreign Affairs, 2 Jan. 2025
Donald Trump’s return to the presidency is expected to end four years of tight regulatory oversight (if not overreach, by some critics’ assessments), setting free the animal spirits repressed amid post-Peak Streaming pullbacks, strikes and other complications.
—David Bloom, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
Trump has spoken repeatedly of his plans to use the American military domestically: for policing the border, deporting millions of undocumented immigrants, repressing protests.
—Kori Schake, The Atlantic, 30 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for repress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repress
Verb
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The answer is clear: Our city council clings to an outdated system that suppresses voter engagement.—
DP Opinion,
The Denver Post,
4 Mar. 2025
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From algorithmic bias that suppresses Black creators to the unchecked harassment that drives them offline, the need for digital hubs designed with Black users in mind has never been more urgent.—
Jasmine Browley,
Essence,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Employees are empowered to be agile and engaged, which fosters the kind of unique contributions that might be stifled in traditional hierarchies.—
Patrick Donegan,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
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Greatly reducing the overhead funding universities need to produce these discoveries will stifle the innovation America relies on to remain competitive and to ensure progress.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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To further soothe and calm the eye area, ginger and Centella Asiatica (known as cica) help quell inflammation.—
Deanna Pai,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2025
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Hearing that others experienced the same symptom for a period helped quell her frenzy.—
Erin Jensen,
USA TODAY,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The cost of eggs, though, is getting hard to swallow.—
David Sharos,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2025
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Yet they are also haunted by echoes from the past, especially from the world war that devastated their continent only 80 years ago, when leading European powers underestimated Adolf Hitler’s readiness to swallow up neighboring states by force of arms.—
Ned Temko,
The Christian Science Monitor,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Canada’s democracy has frayed and strained in the years since, but always held—Quebec’s independence movement was subdued by real concessions from the rest of the provinces, for instance.—
Bill McKibben,
The New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2025
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He was subdued after an officer fired a beanbag round, striking Hermanson and allowing police to arrest him.—
Clifford Ward,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Repress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repress. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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