suppression

noun

sup·​pres·​sion sə-ˈpre-shən 

1

: an act or instance of suppressing : the state of being suppressed

2

: the conscious intentional exclusion from consciousness of a thought or feeling

Synonyms

• restraint
• repression
• discipline
• inhibition

Examples of suppression in a Sentence

learned that suppression of her angry feelings didn't necessarily make them go away

Recent Examples on the Web

Exceptions include workers responsible for law enforcement and emergency response, border and coastal protection, fire suppression and monitoring, and protection of federal lands, buildings, waterways and equipment, according to the contingency plan. —Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025

Fear is already having this impact, as corporations preempt government suppression by doing so on their own. —Elizabeth Shackelford, Twin Cities, 26 Sep. 2025

Safer designs, stronger materials, and advanced fire suppression systems remain the focus for most serious researchers. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025

Even so, State Department officials have been holding meetings and pushing Security Council members to support a resolution on the new gang suppression force, despite concerns about where the money to pay for it will come from. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for suppression

• accession
• aggression
• compression
• concession
• confession
• depression
• digression
• discretion
• expression
• impression
• obsession
• oppression

Medical Definition

suppression

noun

sup·​pres·​sion sə-ˈpresh-ən 

: an act or instance of suppressing: as

a

: stoppage of a bodily function or a symptom

suppression of urine secretion

suppression of a cough

b

: the failure of development of a bodily part or organ

c

: the conscious intentional exclusion from consciousness of a thought or feeling compare repression sense 2a