depress

verb

de·​press di-ˈpres How to pronounce depress (audio)
dē-
depressed; depressing; depresses

transitive verb

1
obsolete : repress, subjugate
2
a
: to press down
depress a typewriter key
b
: to cause to sink to a lower position
3
: to lessen the activity or strength of
drugs that may depress the appetite
4
: sadden, discourage
don't let the news depress you
5
: to decrease the market value or marketability of
depressible adjective

Examples of depress in a Sentence

The news seemed to depress him a little. I don't mean to depress you, but there's no way we can win. We were all depressed by the loss. You shouldn't let this kind of problem depress you. These changes could depress the economy. Market conditions are likely to depress earnings in the next quarter. depressing the price of a stock Slowly depress the car's brake pedal. Depress the “shift” key on your keyboard. The doctor will depress your tongue and look at your throat.
Recent Examples on the Web Though the rule was meant as a kind of salary cap like those seen in professional sports leagues, the DOJ’s filing alleged that the rule would potentially depress player wages. Ash Parrish, The Verge, 20 Feb. 2024 Further, all the doubts and losses, especially the fate of buyers who prepaid for apartments that may never become available, has turned off millions of potential Chinese homebuyers, further depressing this once-important sector. Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 Nonetheless, experiences will come from all kinds of companies, and V.R. could agitate and depress people even more than the little screens on smartphones. Jaron Lanier, The New Yorker, 2 Feb. 2024 There’s something particularly depressing about plastic flowers on stage, and the nursery is full of them. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 28 Jan. 2024 Record turnout The New Hampshire Republican primary saw record turnout on Tuesday despite some reports that low energy among voters would depress the vote. Fox News Staff, Fox News, 24 Jan. 2024 One voter expressed frustration over the time commitment and the often depressing subject matter of these films. Clayton Davis, Variety, 22 Feb. 2024 If the starter functions normally but the car fails to start after three attempts then try depressing the gas pedal and repeating the process. Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2024 The Iowa caucuses Monday will be held during a dangerous, record-breaking cold front as Republican presidential candidates worry the impact will depress turnout. Aaron Navarro, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'depress.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French depresser, from Latin depressus, past participle of deprimere to press down, from de- + premere to press — more at press

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of depress was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near depress

Cite this Entry

“Depress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depress. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

depress

verb
de·​press di-ˈpres How to pronounce depress (audio)
1
a
: to press down
b
: to cause to sink to a lower position
2
: to lessen the activity or strength of
3
4
: to lessen in price or value : depreciate
depressible adjective
depressingly
-iŋ-lē
adverb

Medical Definition

depress

transitive verb
de·​press di-ˈpres How to pronounce depress (audio)
1
: to diminish the activity, strength, or yield of
able to depress irritability of the heart muscle by the use of such a drug as procaine
2
: to lower in spirit or mood

More from Merriam-Webster on depress

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