1 to make sb unhappy and without hope or enthusiasm 使不快乐；使灰心；使失去热情: The thought of going to work tomorrow really depresses me. 我一想起明天要上班就十分沮丧。

2 (used about business) to cause sth to become less successful （指商业）使不景气，使萧条: The reduction in the number of tourists has depressed local trade. 游客人数下降已使本地生意变得萧条。

3 (formal 正式) to press sth down on a machine, etc 按下；压下: To switch off the machine, depress the lever. 要关机器，按下这杠杆。 ➔depressing adj The thought of growing old alone is very depressing. 想到孤孤单单地老起来令人十分沮丧。 ➔depressingly adv