Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Latin
Origin: , past participle of reprimere 'to press back', from premere; PRESS2

repress

 verb
     
re‧press [transitive]
1 to stop yourself from doing something you want to do:
Brenda repressed the urge to shout at him.
I repressed a smile.
2 if someone represses upsetting feelings, memories etc, they do not allow themselves to express or think about them:
He had long ago repressed the painful memories of his childhood.
3 to control a group of people by force [↪ suppress, oppress]:
The police were widely criticized for their role in repressing the protest movement.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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