repress

views updated

re·press / riˈpres/ • v. [tr.] subdue (someone or something) by force: the uprisings were repressed. ∎  restrain or prevent (the expression of a feeling): Isabel couldn't repress a sharp cry of fear. ∎  suppress (a thought, feeling, or desire) in oneself so that it becomes or remains unconscious: the thought that he had killed his brother was so terrible that he repressed it. ∎  inhibit the natural development or self-expression of (someone or something): too much bureaucracy represses creativity. ∎  Biol. prevent the transcription of (a gene).DERIVATIVES: re·press·er n.re·press·i·ble / -əbəl/ adj.re·pres·sion / riˈpreshən/ n.

More From encyclopedia.com