oppress

oppress — verb

1. to keep people under harsh control so they do not have the same rights or chance

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to keep people under harsh control so they do not have the same rights or chances as others

Example

For years, the army oppressed mountain villages with night raids and food checks.

oppress + group of people

Women were oppressed by laws that blocked them from owning land.

often passive: be oppressed by + law

Common collocations
  • oppress a minority
  • oppress workers
  • oppress the poor
  • brutally oppress
Synonyms
  • subjugate

    stresses bringing a group fully under another's control

  • persecute

    focuses on repeated cruel treatment, often because of identity or belief

  • exploit

    stresses unfair use for profit or advantage, not always direct control

  • tyrannize

    is more literary and stresses cruel personal rule

Antonyms
  • liberate

    means to free people from controlling power

  • empower

    means to give people more control, rights, or ability

Grammar Patterns

oppress + people / group

be oppressed by + ruler / system

Usage Note

Subject is usually a ruler, army, government, employer, or system with power. Distinguish from sense 2, where the subject is often fear, guilt, heat, or another heavy feeling rather than a person or institution.

Common Mistakes

The police oppressed the protest by closing the square.
The police suppressed the protest by closing the square.
oppress is about cruel control over people, while suppress is about forcing down an action, movement, or reaction.

2. to press so heavily on a person's mind or senses that they feel troubled or unwe

2.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to press so heavily on a person's mind or senses that they feel troubled or unwell

Example

The low ceiling and closed curtains oppressed visitors in the tiny room.

room conditions as subject

Since the trial began, fear has oppressed Maria day and night.

abstract subject + oppress + person

Common collocations
  • oppress the mind
  • oppress the spirit
  • oppress someone with guilt
  • feel oppressed by
Synonyms
  • burden

    is broader and can describe any heavy responsibility or feeling

  • weigh on

    is a common everyday phrase for emotional pressure

  • trouble

    is weaker and does not suggest the same heavy force

  • stifle

    stresses a choking or shut-in effect more than worry itself

Antonyms
  • relieve

    means to remove some of the pressure or pain

  • comfort

    means to make someone feel calmer or less upset

Grammar Patterns

fear / guilt / heat oppress + person

feel oppressed by + thing

Usage Note

Subject is often an abstract noun or a physical condition, such as fear, guilt, silence, heat, or a shut-in room. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about unfair power over people rather than a heavy feeling or atmosphere.

Common Mistakes

Homework oppressed me last night.
Homework stressed me out last night.
oppress is too strong for ordinary daily pressure; it suggests a crushing mental or physical weight.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

For verb/1, oppress is a broad word for keeping people under harsh, unfair control over time. Subjugate puts more focus on bringing a group completely under another power, often after war or conquest. Persecute is narrower and means repeatedly harming people because of their religion, race, politics, or other identity. Exploit stresses using people unfairly for profit or advantage, even when there is no direct political rule. Suppress often goes with protests, speech, or resistance, and it focuses on forcing something down rather than on the long-term condition of the people. A regime can oppress a minority, an army can subjugate a region, and police can suppress a riot.

subjugatepersecuteexploit ↗suppress ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • be oppressed by
  • the oppressed

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Oppress came into English through French from Latin opprimere, meaning "press against" or "press down". It is built from ob- meaning "against" and premere meaning "to press". That image of something heavy pushing down helps explain both main uses today: keeping people under cruel control and a feeling that weighs heavily on the mind.