I. rə̇ˈpres, rēˈp- verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English repressen, from Latin repressus, past participle of reprimere to check, repress — more at reprimand
transitive verb
1. : to check by or as if by pressure : keep or hold in check : restrain from spreading, increasing, or doing harm : control , curb
obstruction of justice … is sternly repressed — Edward Jenks
developed psychic interests … but then these were repressed by her parents — A.G.N.Flew
law tended to foster rather than repress grammar — H.O.Taylor
repress bleeding
2. : to keep down or under by self-control : restrain oneself from expression (as by showing, feeling, or uttering) of : keep under control
could not repress a smile at the comical figure — Ellen Glasgow
repressed the temptation to talk about it — Kathleen Freeman
a remarkable ability to repress his home worries while on the job — W.H.Whyte
3.
a. : to reduce to subjection or quietness : put down by force : subdue
a hopeless undertaking … to try to repress such powerful subjects — H.T.Buckle
b. : to suppress by exercising force : put down : quell
the royal commissioners sent to repress the tumult — J.R.Green
4. : to prevent the natural or normal expression, activity, or development of : cause repression of or in
chill penury repressed their noble rage — Thomas Gray
natural instinct repressed by a perpetual stern control — Havelock Ellis
5. : to exclude from consciousness : subject to repression
new experiential material … repressed in the personality to the level of the unconscious — H.W.Dunham
repress conflicts
intransitive verb
: to cause or bring about repression : take repressive action
the dominant minority's will to repress — A.J.Toynbee
taboos against the gentler emotion force him to repress — Howard Griffin
II. ˈrēˌpres noun
: a machine for re-pressing brick
III. transitive verb
: to inactivate (a gene or formation of a gene product) by allosteric combination at a DNA binding site