suppress

suppress — verb

1. to use military or official force to bring an end to a rebellion, protest, or po

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to use military or official force to bring an end to a rebellion, protest, or political activity that challenges a government or authority

Example

General Mizuki's troops suppressed the rebellion within forty-eight hours, restoring calm to the region.

collocation: suppress + rebellion / uprising

The government suppressed the newspaper after it published reports about official corruption.

collocation: suppress + a newspaper / publication

Common collocations
  • suppress a rebellion
  • suppress an uprising
  • suppress a protest
  • suppress dissent
  • suppress opposition
  • suppress a movement
Synonyms
  • crush

    stronger, implying complete and often violent destruction of the opposition

  • quell

    slightly more literary; focuses on calming or pacifying rather than destroying

  • put down

    phrasal verb, less formal; used in everyday news reporting

  • subdue

    implies bringing under control rather than necessarily ending the activity

Antonyms
  • support

    to give help or approval to an activity or movement

  • encourage

    to give active approval or motivation to continue

Grammar Patterns

suppress + object (rebellion / protest / dissent / opposition)

Usage Note

Commonly used in political and military contexts. The subject is typically a government, regime, army, or other authority. Typical objects include rebellion, uprising, protest, dissent, and opposition.

Common Mistakes

The school suppressed the noisy students in the hallway.
The school punished the noisy students in the hallway.
suppress is too strong for everyday discipline; use it for political or military force against organised opposition.
She suppressed the heavy suitcase up the stairs.
She carried the heavy suitcase up the stairs.
suppress does not mean to physically press down or lift; use it for ending activities or holding back feelings.

2. to prevent a feeling, piece of information, or natural process from being seen,

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to prevent a feeling, piece of information, or natural process from being seen, expressed, known, or developing

Example

Adina tried to suppress her laughter during the ceremony, but she could not stop.

collocation: suppress + laughter / emotion

The company suppressed the test results because they showed a serious safety problem.

collocation: suppress + information / results

Common collocations
  • suppress emotions
  • suppress a feeling
  • suppress anger
  • suppress laughter
  • suppress information
  • suppress a report
  • suppress evidence
  • suppress growth
  • suppress the immune system
  • suppress a memory
Synonyms
  • restrain

    more about physical or behavioural control; you restrain a person, not an emotion

  • inhibit

    more formal and often technical; common in psychology and biology

  • stifle

    carries a negative connotation of smothering something natural, like creativity or a yawn

  • conceal

    specifically about hiding information or objects; not used for emotions or biological processes

Antonyms
  • express

    to show or communicate a feeling or emotion openly

  • release

    to make information or emotions available to others

  • encourage

    to promote the growth or development of something

Grammar Patterns

suppress + object (emotion / information / growth / memory)

Usage Note

Covers three main sub-contexts: (1) emotional — holding back feelings like anger, laughter, or tears; (2) informational — keeping reports, data, or news from public knowledge; (3) biological/medical — slowing or stopping natural processes such as growth, the immune response, or infection. Distinguish from sense 1 (STOP BY FORCE), where the object is an organised activity or group, not a feeling or hidden fact.

Common Mistakes

I suppressed the heavy box onto the table.
I pushed the heavy box onto the table.
suppress does not mean to apply physical pressure downward.
The teacher suppressed the student's question.
The teacher ignored the student's question.
suppress requires active blocking, not simply not responding.

Word family

  • suppression
    nounC1
  • suppressive
    adjectiveC2
  • suppressor
    nounC2
  • unsuppressed
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

All four words describe preventing something from happening or being expressed, but they differ in scope and register. Suppress is the broadest, covering emotions (suppress a laugh), information (suppress a report), and biological processes (suppress growth). Restrain is more about physical or behavioural control — you restrain a person from acting, not an emotion or a fact. Inhibit is more formal and often technical, common in psychology (inhibit impulses) and biology (inhibit enzyme activity). Stifle carries a negative connotation of smothering something natural or desirable — you stifle creativity or a yawn, but not a scientific report. For example: the government suppressed the news (official blocking), but you would not say 'the government restrained the news' or 'inhibited the news'.

suppress ↗restrain ↗inhibit ↗stifle

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • use force to suppress
  • attempt to suppress
  • move to suppress

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Suppress comes from the Latin verb 'supprimere', meaning 'to press down or hold back', which is formed from 'sub-' (from below, under) and 'premere' (to press). It entered English through Old French in the 1300s, first with the physical meaning 'to press down'. By the 1400s it had developed the figurative senses of ending something by force and holding back feelings or information.