reprimir
to suppress
Reviewed by: David WestfallCofounder
To hold something back or keep it from coming out
Encoding Strategies:
linguistic
repress
to hold something down
+
-ir
verb suffix
Reprimir means to suppress and is a cognate of the English word repress0. When you repress something, like repressing your feelings, you're suppressing them, keeping them down so they can't come out.
reprimir
to suppress, to hold back, to stifle (an impulse)
To keep an urge or a reaction from coming out, like a yawn or a laugh.
Reprimió un bostezo durante la reuniónHe suppressed a yawn during the meeting
No pude reprimir la risa cuando lo viI couldn't hold back my laughter when I saw him
to repress, to hold in (feelings)
To keep feelings down instead of facing them or showing them.
No es sano reprimir la tristezaIt isn't healthy to repress sadness
Reprimió su rabia delante de los niñosShe held in her anger in front of the children
to suppress, to crack down on (by force)
To put down a protest or a movement by force.
El gobierno reprimió la protesta con violenciaThe government suppressed the protest with violence
La policía reprimió a los manifestantes en la plazaThe police cracked down on the demonstrators in the square
reprimirse
to hold back, to stop oneself
To stop yourself from saying or doing what you were about to.
Me reprimí y no dije nadaI held back and said nothing
No se reprimió y le contó toda la verdadHe didn't stop himself and told her the whole truth