# suppress

Pronunciation: say "suh-PRES" US/UK /səˈpɹɛs/, AUS /səˈpɹes/

## Verb

1. To put an end to something forcefully: crushing, subduing, or prohibiting it.
   - Simple: To stop something by force, such as a protest or a riot.
   - _The regime moved quickly to suppress any sign of dissent._
   - _Colonial authorities suppressed the uprising with brutal force._
2. To restrain or hold back something such as laughter, an emotion, or a facial expression.
   - Simple: To hold back a feeling or reaction, like a laugh or a yawn.
   - _I had to suppress the urge to laugh at his joke._
   - _She suppressed her anger and kept her voice calm._
3. To deliberately exclude unwanted or painful thoughts from one's conscious mind.
   - Simple: To push unwanted thoughts out of your mind on purpose.
   - _Patients often suppress traumatic memories to cope with daily life._
   - _He consciously suppressed thoughts of failure before the interview._
4. To prevent a piece of writing, news, or information from being published.
   - Simple: To stop something from being printed or made public.
   - _The studio moved to suppress the leaked script before its release._
   - _Authorities suppressed the journalist's findings for years._
5. To stop or hold back a flow or stream of something so it no longer continues.
   - Simple: To stop a liquid or other flow from moving.
   - _Firm pressure on the wound helped suppress the bleeding._
   - _The valve suppressed the flow of water into the tank._
6. To stop or prevent the enemy from firing, regrouping, or observing during combat.
   - Simple: To stop enemy soldiers from firing, moving, or watching.
   - _The platoon used heavy fire to suppress the enemy gunners._
   - _Artillery suppressed the enemy trenches while the infantry advanced._
7. To bar evidence from being used at trial because it is improper or was improperly obtained. *(US)*
   - Simple: To stop evidence from being used in court because it was gathered the wrong way.
   - _Defense lawyers asked the judge to suppress the illegally seized documents._
   - _The court suppressed the confession because police ignored the suspect's rights._
8. To reduce unwanted frequencies in an electrical signal so the desired part comes through clearly.
   - Simple: To cut down unwanted parts of an electrical signal.
   - _A low-pass filter can suppress high-frequency noise in the audio signal._
   - _The new design suppressed unwanted harmonics across the band._

## Verb

9. To hold something firmly in place, keeping it pressed down or low to the ground. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To hold something down or keep it low in position.

## Origin

From Latin suppressus, the perfect passive participle of supprimō ("press down or under"), formed from sub ("under") plus premō ("press").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/suppress (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).