de ‧ press AC /dɪˈpres/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ depressed , ↑ depressing , ↑ depressant , ↑ depressive ; noun : ↑ depression , ↑ depressant , ↑ depressive ; verb : ↑ depress ; adverb : ↑ depressingly ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: depresser , from Latin premere 'to press' ]
1 . to make someone feel very unhappy ⇨ depression :
The thought of taking the exam again depressed him.
It depresses me that nobody seems to care.
2 . to prevent an ↑ economy from being as active and successful as it usually is ⇨ depression :
Several factors combined to depress the American economy.
3 . formal to press something down, especially a part of a machine:
Depress the clutch fully.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say they push (down) or press (down) a button rather than depress it:
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Push this button for cold water.
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Push the clutch down fully.
4 . formal to reduce the value of prices or wages:
High interest rates may depress share prices.