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inflected forms: suppresses; suppressed; suppressing
1 : to end or stop (something) by force • Political dissent was brutally suppressed. • suppressing a rebellion
2 : to keep (something) secret : to not allow people to know about or see (something) • The governor tried to suppress the news. • The judge may decide to suppress the evidence. [=to not allow the evidence to be used at a trial] • She ordered the magazine (to be) suppressed.
3 a : to not allow yourself to feel, show, or be affected by (an emotion) • He struggled to suppress hisfeelings of jealousy. • She could not suppress her anger. • I had to suppress an urge to tell him what I really thought.
3 b : to stop yourself from doing something (such as smiling, coughing, or laughing) that might bother other people • I found it hard to suppress a smile [=to keep myself from smiling] when he told me about what happened. • She tried to suppress a cough/laugh. [=she tried not to cough/laugh]
4 : to slow or stop the growth, development, or normal functioning of (something) • a drug that suppresses the immune system • The pill works by suppressing your appetite.
— suppression /səˈprɛʃən/ noun [noncount] • political suppression • the suppression of evidence • the suppression of your emotions • appetite suppression
