depressed; depressing; depresses
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
Synonyms
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
Share [Findings] Living near oil and gas development sites depresses people who are trying to get pregnant.
—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024
In today’s global economy, the effects of high tariffs may not only come from within—a 20% tariff would likely trigger retaliation from other nations, further driving up costs and depressing economic activity.
—Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
Payroll employment is likely to be depressed, along with industrial production and some measures of consumer spending, in ways that don't reflect the economy's underlying trajectory.
—Neil Irwin, Axios, 11 Oct. 2024
The October jobs report, although immensely critical, also will be quite noisy: The month’s employment numbers are likely to be depressed by an ongoing Boeing strike as well as the ripple effects from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for depress 
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024
In today’s global economy, the effects of high tariffs may not only come from within—a 20% tariff would likely trigger retaliation from other nations, further driving up costs and depressing economic activity.
—Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
Payroll employment is likely to be depressed, along with industrial production and some measures of consumer spending, in ways that don't reflect the economy's underlying trajectory.
—Neil Irwin, Axios, 11 Oct. 2024
The October jobs report, although immensely critical, also will be quite noisy: The month’s employment numbers are likely to be depressed by an ongoing Boeing strike as well as the ripple effects from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for depress
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'depress.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near depress
Cite this Entry
“Depress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depress. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
depress
verb
de·press
di-ˈpres 
1
a
: to press down
b
: to cause to sink to a lower position
2
: to lessen the activity or strength of
3
: sadden, discourage
4
: to lessen in price or value : depreciate
depressingly
adverb
-iŋ-lē
Medical Definition
depress
transitive verb
de·press
di-ˈpres
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share