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oprimir

to oppress

verb oh-pree-MEER Rare
People & Society Politics

Origin: Latin opprimere

Also means

to press (a button)

Usage Note

Oprimir carries two distinct senses: in a political or social context it means to oppress or subjugate a group, while in a physical/technical context it simply means to press or push — oprimir una tecla (to press a key). Learners often use presionar for the physical sense, but both are correct. The derived noun is opresión and the agent noun is opresor.

Examples

"El régimen oprimió a la población durante décadas."

Natural Translation

The regime oppressed the population for decades.

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