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
The drop in street life from workers staying at home during the pandemic and continuing to work remotely has been a drain on the vibrancy and sense of security in the financial district, which is depressing office leasing and hampering the neighborhood’s comeback, Sischo said.
—
Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Some economists are warning that Trump’s trade agenda and the ensuing retaliation from trading partners would hurt the US economy by worsening inflation, killing jobs, depressing growth and spooking investors.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The growing gap between Chinese and U.S. interest rates reversed what had been a large inflow of foreign capital into China, ultimately depressing the value of the renminbi vis-à-vis the dollar by 10 percent.
—Nicholas R. Lardy, Foreign Affairs, 2 Apr. 2024
The combination of that and the switch to Daylight Savings Time figured to depress viewing at the outset, with the hope that finishing by 10:30 p.m. ET would encourage more people to stick things through until the end.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024
The former works to depress the central nervous system, temporarily putting your brain in chill mode while the liver metabolizes it; the latter conversely activates the endocannabinoid receptors in your brain.
—Ali Finney, SELF, 26 Feb. 2024
Its most ambitious undertaking, the FAME Renaissance Center, opened in 2001 to house the church’s economic development arm, which was intended to create jobs and provide hope in a neighborhood that had been depressed by civil unrest.
—Gayle Pollard-Terry, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
There are so many non-optional things in the world to be frustrated by and depressed about.
—Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 27 Mar. 2024
Finally, banning initiative ballot measures from primary elections depresses voter interest while concentrating them in November contributes to voter confusion.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Some economists are warning that Trump’s trade agenda and the ensuing retaliation from trading partners would hurt the US economy by worsening inflation, killing jobs, depressing growth and spooking investors.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The growing gap between Chinese and U.S. interest rates reversed what had been a large inflow of foreign capital into China, ultimately depressing the value of the renminbi vis-à-vis the dollar by 10 percent.
—Nicholas R. Lardy, Foreign Affairs, 2 Apr. 2024
The combination of that and the switch to Daylight Savings Time figured to depress viewing at the outset, with the hope that finishing by 10:30 p.m. ET would encourage more people to stick things through until the end.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024
The former works to depress the central nervous system, temporarily putting your brain in chill mode while the liver metabolizes it; the latter conversely activates the endocannabinoid receptors in your brain.
—Ali Finney, SELF, 26 Feb. 2024
Its most ambitious undertaking, the FAME Renaissance Center, opened in 2001 to house the church’s economic development arm, which was intended to create jobs and provide hope in a neighborhood that had been depressed by civil unrest.
—Gayle Pollard-Terry, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
There are so many non-optional things in the world to be frustrated by and depressed about.
—Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 27 Mar. 2024
Finally, banning initiative ballot measures from primary elections depresses voter interest while concentrating them in November contributes to voter confusion.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
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 23 Apr. 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
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