From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishrepressre‧press /rɪˈpres/ ●○○ verb [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 HIDE/NOT SHOWif 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 CONTROLto control a group of people by force → suppress, oppress The police were widely criticized for their role in repressing the protest movement.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
repress• It's a cruel and vicious regime that represses all opposition.• Not all that is unconscious is repressed, although all that is repressed is unconscious.• Some tendencies in human behaviour were encouraged, others repressed, and the results were both pleasant and unpleasant.• For years the inhabitants of these islands have been repressed by the colonizers.• Other nations condemned the ruler for repressing dissent.• Their professional pride is to provide information, not repress it.• Denying or repressing sorrow often seems the easiest way out when confronted with death.• Individuals who repress their sexual desires often suffer from psychological problems.• Either he had genuinely repressed what he knew or he refused to acknowledge it.Origin repress (1300-1400) Latin past participle of reprimere “to press back”, from premere; → PRESS2 