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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In our view, a 10 percent global tariff would act like a consumption tax that subtracts from growth and could depress business spending in the short term. Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024 Domestic production rose by $2.3 billion by 2021, but the tariffs depressed output by $3.5 billion at U.S. makers of things like tools, auto parts and machinery, the ITC found. Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024 The increase has depressed the beleaguered housing market, as would-be buyers who'd been gunning for lower rates are backing away and waiting it out. Emily Peck, Axios, 1 Nov. 2024 The value of 40 Wall was especially depressed by its unusual ownership structure. Paula Aceves, Curbed, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for depress 

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 30 Nov. 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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