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 of suppression

• 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

The Iranian attacks caused structural damage, disrupted power delivery, and also triggered fire suppression systems that caused water damage, AWS reported through its service dashboard on March 1. —Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2026

Personalized treatments could help the field move beyond symptom suppression and toward functional remission, optimizing the probability of therapeutic success and eventually evolving into improved prevention. —Eric J. Nestler, STAT, 28 Apr. 2026

This hormonal suppression could contribute to fertility challenges in some cases, though researchers noted that human evidence remains mixed and continues to be studied. —Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026

The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control says two single-engine air tankers, two large air tankers, and a multi-mission aircraft and Tava suppression model have been deployed. —Christa Swanson, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026

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