de ‧ pres ‧ sion W3 AC /dɪˈpreʃ ə n/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ depressed , ↑ depressing , ↑ depressant , ↑ depressive ; noun : ↑ depression , ↑ depressant , ↑ depressive ; verb : ↑ depress ; adverb : ↑ depressingly ]
1 . [uncountable and countable]
a) a medical condition that makes you very unhappy and anxious and often prevents you from living a normal life:
women who suffer from post-natal depression (=that sometimes happens after the birth of a baby)
b) a feeling of sadness that makes you think there is no hope for the future:
Lucy’s mood was one of deep depression.
2 . the (Great) Depression the period during the 1930s when there was not much business activity and not many jobs
3 . [uncountable and countable] a long period during which there is very little business activity and a lot of people do not have jobs ⇨ recession :
the devastating effects of economic depression
4 . [countable] a part of a surface that is lower than the other parts:
depressions in the ground
5 . [countable] technical a mass of air under low pressure, that usually causes rain