oppress

• POS: Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: op=press
• COUNT in NET: 31 in 31 verses (in OT : 31 in 31 verses)

CIDE DICTIONARY

oppress, v. t. [F. oppresser, LL. oppressare, fr. L. oppressus, p. p. of opprimere; ob (see Ob-) + premere to press. See Press.].

•  To impose excessive burdens upon; to overload; hence, to treat with unjust rigor or with cruelty.  Wyclif.  [1913 Webster]

  "For thee, oppressèd king, am I cast down."  [1913 Webster]

  "Behold the kings of the earth; how they oppress
  Thy chosen!"  [1913 Webster]
•  To ravish; to violate.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]
•  To put down; to crush out; to suppress.  [1913 Webster]

  "The mutiny he there hastes to oppress."  [1913 Webster]
•  To produce a sensation of weight in (some part of the body); as, my lungs are oppressed by the damp air; excess of food oppresses the stomach.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

oppress, v.tr.
1 keep in subservience by coercion.
2 govern or treat harshly or with cruel injustice.
3 weigh down (with cares or unhappiness).

Derivative

oppressor n.

Etymology

ME f. OF oppresser f. med.L oppressare (as OB-, PRESS(1))

THESAURUS

oppress

abuse, addict, afflict, aggrieve, anguish, bear hard upon, beat down, beset, break, break down, bring to tears, browbeat, bulldoze, bully, burden, burthen, busy, cast down, castrate, charge, clamp down on, coerce, compel, conquer, cow, crush, crush one, cumber, cut up, damp, dampen, dampen the spirits, darken, dash, daunt, deject, depress, desolate, despotize, discourage, dishearten, dispirit, distress, domineer, domineer over, draw tears, drive, embitter, encumber, enslave, exhaust, fag, freight, go hard with, go ill with, grieve, grind, grind down, hamper, handicap, harass, harry, haunt, haunt the memory, henpeck, hound, hunt, intimidate, inundate, keep busy, keep down, keep under, knock down, lade, lie on, load, lord it over, lower, lower the spirits, maltreat, molest, obsess, outrage, overawe, overbear, overburden, overcome, overdrive, overload, overmaster, overpower, override, overtask, overtax, overthrow, overweight, overwhelm, overwork, persecute, press, press down, press hard upon, press heavy on, pressure, prey on, prostrate, pursue, put down, repress, rest hard upon, ride over, ride roughshod over, sadden, saddle, sink, sorrow, subdue, subjugate, suppress, sweat, task, tax, terrorize, tire, torment, torture, trample down, trample underfoot, trample upon, tread down, tread upon, trouble, try one, tyrannize, tyrannize over, unman, victimize, walk all over, walk over, wear down, wear out, wear upon one, weary, weigh down, weigh heavy on, weigh heavy upon, weigh on, weigh upon, weight down, work

ROGET THESAURUS

oppress

Badness

VB be hurtful, cause evil, produce evil, inflict evil, work evil, do evil, damnify, endamage, hurt, harm, injure, pain, wrong, aggrieve, oppress, persecute, trample upon, tread upon, bear hard upon, put upon, overburden, weigh down, weigh heavy on, victimize, run down, molest, maltreat, abuse, ill-use, ill-treat, buffet, bruise, scratch, maul, smite, do violence, do harm, do a mischief, stab, pierce, outrage, do mischief, make mischief, bring into trouble, destroy.

Severity

VB be severe, assume, usurp, arrogate, take liberties, domineer, bully, tyrannize, inflict, wreak, stretch a point, put on the screw, be hard upon, bear a heavy hand on, lay a heavy hand on, be down upon, come down upon, ill treat, deal hardly with, deal hard measure to, rule with a rod of iron, chastise with scorpions, dye with blood, oppress, override, trample under foot, tread under foot, tread upon, trample upon, tread down upon, trample down upon, crush under an iron heel, ride roughshod over, rivet the yoke, hold a tight hand, keep a tight hand, force down the throat, coerce, give no quarter.

Malevolence

VB be malevolent, bear spleen, harbor spleen, bear a grudge, harbor a grudge, bear malice, betray the cloven foot, show the cloven foot, hurt, annoy, injure, harm, wrong, do harm to, do an ill office to, outrage, disoblige, malign, plant a thorn in the breast, molest, worry, harass, haunt, harry, bait, tease, throw stones at, play the devil with, hunt down, dragoon, hound, persecute, oppress, grind, maltreat, illtreat, ill-use, wreak one's malice on, do one's worst, break a butterfly on the wheel, dip one's hands in blood, imbrue one's hands in blood, have no mercy.