Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: French
Origin: oppresser, from Latin oppressus, past participle of opprimere 'to press against'

oppress

 verb
     
op‧press [transitive often passive]
1 to treat a group of people unfairly or cruelly, and prevent them from having the same rights that other people in society have:
native tribes oppressed by the authorities
2 to make someone feel unhappy, worried, or uncomfortable:
The gloom in the chapel oppressed her.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary