suppress

From Latin suppressus, perfect passive participle of supprimō (“press down or under”), from sub (“under”) + premō (“press”).

• IPA^(key): /səˈpɹɛs/

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• Rhymes: -ɛs
• Hyphenation: sup‧press

suppress (third-person singular simple present suppresses, present participle suppressing, simple past and past participle suppressed)

1. To put an end to, especially with force, to crush, do away with; to prohibit, subdue.

   Synonyms: abolish, clamp down, eliminate

   Political dissent was brutally suppressed.

2. To restrain or repress, such as laughter or an expression.

   Synonyms: curtail, stifle; see also Thesaurus:curb

   I struggled to suppress my smile.

3. (psychiatry) To exclude undesirable thoughts from one's mind.

   He unconsciously suppressed his memories of abuse.

4. To prevent publication.

   The government suppressed the findings of their research about the true state of the economy.

5. To stop a flow or stream.

   Synonyms: clamp off, dam, stanch, stem

   The rescue team managed to suppress the flow of oil by blasting the drilling hole.

   Hot blackcurrant juice mixed with honey may suppress cough.

6. (US, law) To forbid the use of evidence at trial because it is improper or was improperly obtained.
7. (electronics) To reduce unwanted frequencies in a signal.
8. (military) To stop or prevent the enemy from executing unwanted activities like firing, regrouping, observation or others.
9. (obsolete) To hold in place, to keep low.

• “suppress”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “suppress”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

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