depress

depress — 動詞

1. to make someone feel very sad, discouraged, or lacking in energy and hope

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

使沮喪

讓人感到悲傷或失去希望

to make someone feel very sad, discouraged, or lacking in energy and hope

例句

The news of his uncle's illness depressed Bilal for several weeks.

叔叔生病的消息讓 Bilal 沮喪了好幾個星期。

Watching the rain fall all afternoon depressed the children, who had planned to play outside.

整下午看著雨一直下，讓本來計劃去外面玩的孩子們很沮喪。

depress + person affected by a situation

同義詞
  • sadden

    similar meaning but less intense and more temporary; 'sadden' does not imply loss of hope

  • discourage

    focuses on loss of confidence or willingness to act, not necessarily sadness

  • dishearten

    more formal; emphasises loss of hope or enthusiasm over sadness

  • weigh down

    phrasal verb; suggests a gradual, heavy feeling rather than a sudden emotion

反義詞

文法句型

depress + object (person)

用法筆記

Commonly used in the passive voice ('be depressed by') to describe a lasting emotional state rather than a temporary reaction. Distinguished from sense 1 of 'sadden' by implying a deeper or longer-lasting lowering of mood.

常見錯誤

❌The movie depressed me boring.
✅The movie depressed me because it was boring.
💡'depress' is not followed by a bare adjective; use a clause or a separate sentence.
❌I depressed after hearing the news.
✅I was depressed after hearing the news.
💡'depressed' as an adjective requires a form of 'be'; the verb 'depress' needs an object.

2. to cause the value of money, shares, prices, or other financial measures to fall

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

使貶值

降低貨幣、股價等金融價值

to cause the value of money, shares, prices, or other financial measures to fall

例句

The strong dollar depressed the value of the yen against other major currencies.

強勢美元壓低了日圓對其他主要貨幣的匯率。

Low consumer demand has depressed house prices across the entire region.

消費者需求低迷壓低了整個地區的房價。

depress + prices (financial context)

同義詞
  • devalue

    more specific; usually refers to official reduction of a currency's value by government action

  • lower

    broader and less formal; can refer to any reduction, not just financial

  • reduce

    neutral; does not carry the negative connotation of unfair or artificial lowering

  • undermine

    suggests gradual erosion of value through loss of confidence

反義詞
  • raise

    to increase the value of something

  • boost

    to increase or improve something, especially prices or value

文法句型

depress + object (price, value, currency, market)

用法筆記

Typically used in financial journalism and economic analysis. Subject is usually a market force (supply, demand, currency strength) rather than a person. The object is always a financial measure — price, value, currency, shares, or bonds.

3. to cause a slowdown in business activity, trade, or economic growth

3.動詞及物B2
釋義

使蕭條

減少商業或經濟活動

to cause a slowdown in business activity, trade, or economic growth

例句

High interest rates depressed business activity throughout the manufacturing sector.

高利率壓抑了整個製造業的商業活動。

depress + business activity

The prolonged strike at the port depressed trade for nearly two months.

港口長期的罷工使貿易活動停滯了近兩個月。

同義詞
  • slow

    less formal; focuses on reduction in speed or pace rather than volume

  • weaken

    suggests a loss of strength in economic activity

  • dampen

    implies a partial reduction rather than a full decline; often used with 'demand' or 'enthusiasm'

  • stifle

    stronger; suggests active suppression that prevents normal growth

反義詞
  • stimulate

    to encourage economic activity or growth

  • boost

    to increase or improve economic performance

文法句型

depress + object (trade, industry, activity, growth)

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 2: this sense affects the volume or pace of activity (trade, sales, growth), not the monetary value of assets. Common in economics, business reporting, and policy discussion.

常見錯誤

❌The cold winter depressed people to stay home.
✅The cold winter depressed retail sales as people stayed home.
💡'depress' in this sense takes an economic measure as object, not a person plus infinitive.

4. to reduce the level, amount, rate, or yield of something

4.動詞及物B2
釋義

降低；減少

使水平、數量或比率下降

to reduce the level, amount, rate, or yield of something

例句

The drought depressed water levels in the reservoir to a record low.

乾旱使水庫的水位降到了歷史新低。

depress + level (of water, temperature, etc.)

Cold weather depressed attendance at the outdoor concert by about thirty percent.

寒冷的天氣使戶外演唱會的出席率減少了約三成。

同義詞
  • lower

    more common and less formal; can be used in almost any context

  • reduce

    neutral; simply means to make smaller in quantity or degree

  • diminish

    more formal; suggests a gradual lessening over time

  • suppress

    stronger; implies active restraint to prevent normal functioning

反義詞
  • raise

    to increase the level or amount of something

  • elevate

    more formal; to lift to a higher level or position

文法句型

depress + object (level, amount, rate, yield)

用法筆記

More general and less domain-specific than senses 2 and 3. The object can be any measurable quantity (levels, rates, yields, averages, counts). Often used in scientific, medical, or statistical contexts.

5. to apply downward pressure on a button, lever, pedal, or similar mechanical cont

5.動詞及物B1
釋義

按下；壓下

向下按壓（按鈕、拉桿等）

to apply downward pressure on a button, lever, pedal, or similar mechanical control

例句

To start the machine, depress the red button on the front control panel.

要啟動機器，請按下前方控制面板上的紅色按鈕。

depress + button / lever / pedal

The dentist asked Andrés to depress his tongue gently with a wooden stick.

牙醫請 Andrés 用木棒輕輕壓住舌頭。

同義詞
  • press

    more common and general; can mean push in any direction, not just downwards

  • push down

    less formal; the phrasal verb is more common in everyday speech

  • lower

    suggests moving something to a lower position rather than applying downward force

反義詞
  • raise

    to move something up or to a higher position

  • lift

    to move something upwards from a lower position

文法句型

depress + object (button, lever, pedal, key)

用法筆記

The original, most literal sense of 'depress'. More formal and technical than common verbs like 'push' or 'press'. Used especially in technical manuals, medical instructions, and driving contexts. Common in passive instructions ('the button should be depressed').

常見錯誤

❌She depressed the door open.
✅She depressed the door handle to open the door.
💡'depress' means to push downward, not to make something open or move in a particular direction.