MEANING
1. To subject someone to harsh or unjust control.
2. To burden someone with distress or a sense of pressure.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- oppress a people
On the page
The regime oppressed the isolated community.
The ruler oppressed anyone who resisted.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- oppress
- Past tense
- oppressed
- Past participle
- oppressed
- Present participle
- oppressing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- oppress
- Present continuous
- am/is/are oppressing
- Present perfect
- have/has oppressed
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been oppressing
- Past
- oppressed
- Past continuous
- was/were oppressing
- Past perfect
- had oppressed
- Past perfect continuous
- had been oppressing
- Future
- will oppress
- Future continuous
- will be oppressing
- Future perfect
- will have oppressed
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been oppressing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Forms: oppress; oppresses; oppressed; oppressed; oppressing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: oppresses.
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