Reading Theme:
Depress: Definition, Usage & Examples (3 meaning)
Meaning 1：make sad (depress)
depress
/dɪˈprɛs/
vt.
To make someone feel very sad and hopeless, like a heavy weight on their heart.
make sad
➕
/meɪk sæd/
vt.
To cause someone to feel very sad and without hope.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Root Explanation
From Latin 'deprimere' meaning 'to press down' (de- down + premere to press).
💡 Mnemonic
Think: De-press as pressing DOWN on your mood or a button.
📖 Example
Getting low scores on several practice tests in a row really started to depress him.
Consistently receiving poor results on practice tests began to make him feel deeply unhappy.
🔗 Collocations
depress someone's mood – to make someone feel sad or gloomy
depress the spirits – to lower morale or happiness
feel depressed – to experience sadness or hopelessness
🔄 Synonyms
sadden (vt.) – to make someone feel sad
dishearten (vt.) – to cause someone to lose confidence or hope
discourage (vt.) – to make someone less enthusiastic or hopeful
🚫 Antonyms
🌱 Derivatives
depressed (adj.) – feeling very sad and without hope
depression (n.) – a state of feeling very sad and lacking energy
📖 Cultural Story
The word 'depress' comes from Latin 'deprimere', entering English in the 14th century with the physical sense. It later extended to emotional and economic meanings in the 17th century, reflecting broader metaphorical uses.
Meaning 2：cause economic slowdown (depress)
depress
/dɪˈprɛs/
vt.
To make economic activity slow down or become worse, causing businesses to struggle and people to spend less money.
cause economic slowdown
➕
/kɔz ˌikəˈnɑmɪk ˈsloʊdaʊn/
vt.
To reduce the level of economic activity, leading to negative effects on markets and spending.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Example
The sudden increase in taxes is expected to depress the real estate market.
The abrupt tax hike is likely to slow down the housing market activity.
🔗 Collocations
depress the market – to cause a decline in market activity or prices
depress sales – to reduce the number of items sold
depress prices – to lower the cost of goods or services
🔄 Synonyms
🚫 Antonyms
🌱 Derivatives
depression (n.) – a period of economic decline or recession
depressive (adj.) – tending to cause economic slowdown
Meaning 3：press down (depress)
depress
/dɪˈprɛs/
vt.
To push something down physically, or to reduce the level, amount, or price of something.
press down
➕
/prɛs daʊn/
vt.
To apply pressure to something in a downward direction, or to decrease a value or level.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Example
To slow down the car, you need to gently depress the brake pedal.
To reduce the vehicle's speed, you should press the brake pedal softly.
🔗 Collocations
depress the button – to push a button down to activate it
depress the lever – to lower a lever by applying pressure
depress the price – to reduce the cost of an item
🔄 Synonyms
🚫 Antonyms
🌱 Derivatives
depression (n.) – a sunken area or hollow, often in geography
depressor (n.) – a muscle or instrument that presses down
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