repress

re·press  (r-prs)

v. re·pressed, re·press·ing, re·press·es

v.tr.

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.

v.intr.

To take repressive action.

---

[Middle English repressen, from Latin reprimere, repress- : re-, re- + premere, to press; see per-⁴ in Indo-European roots.]

---

re·pressi·bili·ty n.

re·pressi·ble adj.

---

repress

Verb

1. to keep (feelings) under control

2. to restrict the freedom of: he continued to repress his people

3. Psychol to banish (unpleasant thoughts) from one's conscious mind [Latin reprimere to press back]

repression n
repressive adj

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" quash, subdue, subjugate, keep down, reduce crush, oppress, suppress - come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority; "The government oppresses political activists"
	2.	repress - conceal or hide; "smother a yawn"; "muffle one's anger"; "strangle a yawn" muffle, stifle, strangle, smother conquer, inhibit, stamp down, suppress, subdue, curb - to put down by force or authority; "suppress a nascent uprising"; "stamp down on littering"; "conquer one's desires"
	3.	repress - put out of one's consciousness suppress psychiatry, psychological medicine, psychopathology - the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders forget, bury - dismiss from the mind; stop remembering; "I tried to bury these unpleasant memories" 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"

---

repress

verb 1. control, suppress, hold back, bottle up, check, master, hold in, overcome, curb, restrain, inhibit, overpower, keep in check << OPPOSITE release

verb 2. hold back, suppress, stifle, smother, silence, swallow, muffle

verb 3. subdue, abuse, crush, quash, wrong, persecute, quell, subjugate, maltreat, trample underfoot, tyrannize over, rule with an iron hand << OPPOSITE liberate

Translations

repress [rɪˈprɛs] vt → reprimir

---

repress [rɪˈprɛs] vt → réprimer

---

repress [rɪˈprɛs] vt → unterdrücken

---

repress [rɪˈprɛs] vt → reprimere