| repress | | |
| v. (social) | 1. keep down, quash, reduce, repress, subdue, subjugate | put down by force or intimidation.; "The government quashes any attempt of an uprising"; "China keeps down her dissidents very efficiently"; "The rich landowners subjugated the peasants working the land" |
| ~ crush, oppress, suppress | come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority.; "The government oppresses political activists" |
| v. (contact) | 2. muffle, repress, smother, stifle, strangle | conceal or hide.; "smother a yawn"; "muffle one's anger"; "strangle a yawn" |
| ~ conquer, inhibit, stamp down, suppress, curb, subdue | to put down by force or authority.; "suppress a nascent uprising"; "stamp down on littering"; "conquer one's desires" |
| v. (cognition) | 3. repress, suppress | put out of one's consciousness. |
| ~ psychiatry, psychological medicine, psychopathology | the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. |
| ~ forget, bury | dismiss from the mind; stop remembering.; "I tried to bury these unpleasant memories" |
| ~ swallow | keep from expressing.; "I swallowed my anger and kept quiet" |
| v. (change) | 4. repress | block the action of. |
| ~ change | undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature.; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" |
| santa | | |
| n. (person) | 1. father christmas, kriss kringle, saint nicholas, saint nick, santa, santa claus, st. nick | the legendary patron saint of children; an imaginary being who is thought to bring presents to children at Christmas. |
| ~ imaginary being, imaginary creature | a creature of the imagination; a person that exists only in legends or myths or fiction. |
| ~ patron saint | a saint who is considered to be a defender of some group or nation. |
| saint | | |
| n. (person) | 1. saint | a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization. |
| ~ sainthood | saints collectively. |
| ~ deity, divinity, god, immortal | any supernatural being worshipped as controlling some part of the world or some aspect of life or who is the personification of a force. |
| ~ patron saint | a saint who is considered to be a defender of some group or nation. |
| ~ ambrose, saint ambrose, st. ambrose | (Roman Catholic Church) Roman priest who became bishop of Milan; the first Church Father born and raised in the Christian faith; composer of hymns; imposed orthodoxy on the early Christian church and built up its secular power; a saint and Doctor of the Church (340?-397). |
| ~ andrew, saint andrew, saint andrew the apostle, st. andrew | (New Testament) disciple of Jesus; brother of Peter; patron saint of Scotland. |
| ~ anselm, saint anselm, st. anselm | an Italian who was a Benedictine monk; was archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109; one of the founders of scholasticism; best known for his proof of the existence of God. |
| ~ aquinas, saint thomas aquinas, st. thomas aquinas, thomas aquinas, saint thomas, st. thomas | (Roman Catholic Church) Italian theologian and Doctor of the Church who is remembered for his attempt to reconcile faith and reason in a comprehensive theology; presented philosophical proofs of the existence of God (1225-1274). |
| ~ athanasius, athanasius the great, saint athanasius, st. athanasius | (Roman Catholic Church) Greek patriarch of Alexandria who championed Christian orthodoxy against Arianism; a church father, saint, and Doctor of the Church (293-373). |
| ~ augustine, augustine of hippo, saint augustine, st. augustine | (Roman Catholic Church) one of the great Fathers of the early Christian church; after a dramatic conversion to Christianity he became bishop of Hippo Regius in North Africa; St. Augustine emphasized man's need for grace (354-430). |
| ~ basil of caesarea, basil the great, st. basil, st. basil the great, basil | (Roman Catholic Church) the bishop of Caesarea who defended the Roman Catholic Church against the heresies of the 4th century; a saint and Doctor of the Church (329-379). |
| ~ becket, saint thomas a becket, st. thomas a becket, thomas a becket | (Roman Catholic Church) archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170; murdered following his opposition to Henry II's attempts to control the clergy (1118-1170). |
| ~ baeda, beda, bede, saint baeda, saint beda, saint bede, st. baeda, st. beda, st. bede, the venerable bede | (Roman Catholic Church) English monk and scholar (672-735). |
| ~ saint benedict, st. benedict, benedict | Italian monk who founded the Benedictine order about 540 (480-547). |
| ~ apostle of germany, boniface, saint boniface, st. boniface, winfred, wynfrith | (Roman Catholic Church) Anglo-Saxon missionary who was sent to Frisia and Germany to spread the Christian faith; was martyred in Frisia (680-754). |
| ~ bridget, brigid, saint bride, saint bridget, saint brigid, st. bride, st. bridget, st. brigid, bride | Irish abbess; a patron saint of Ireland (453-523). |
| ~ saint bruno, st. bruno, bruno | (Roman Catholic Church) a French cleric (born in Germany) who founded the Carthusian order in 1084 (1032-1101). |
| ~ domingo de guzman, dominic, saint dominic, st. dominic | (Roman Catholic Church) Spanish priest who founded an order whose members became known as Dominicans or Black Friars (circa 1170-1221). |
| ~ edward the confessor, saint edward the confessor, st. edward the confessor | son of Ethelred the Unready; King of England from 1042 to 1066; he founded Westminster Abbey where he was eventually buried (1003-1066). |
| ~ edward the martyr, saint edward the martyr, st. edward the martyr | King of England who was a son of Edgar; he was challenged for the throne by supporters of his half-brother Ethelred II who eventually murdered him (963-978). |
| ~ francis of assisi, giovanni di bernardone, saint francis, saint francis of assisi, st. francis, st. francis of assisi | (Roman Catholic Church) an Italian and the Roman Catholic monk who founded the Franciscan order of friars (1181-1226). |
| ~ gregory i, gregory the great, saint gregory i, st. gregory i, gregory | (Roman Catholic Church) an Italian pope distinguished for his spiritual and temporal leadership; a saint and Doctor of the Church (540?-604). |
| ~ gregory, gregory nazianzen, gregory of nazianzen, st. gregory of nazianzen | (Roman Catholic Church) a church father known for his constant fight against perceived heresies; a saint and Doctor of the Church (329-391). |
| ~ ignatius, saint ignatius, st. ignatius | bishop of Antioch who was martyred under the Roman Emperor Trajan (died 110). |
| ~ ignatius of loyola, loyola, saint ignatius of loyola, st. ignatius of loyola | Spaniard and Roman Catholic theologian and founder of the Society of Jesus; a leading opponent of the Reformation (1491-1556). |
| ~ irenaeus, saint irenaeus, st. irenaeus | Greek theologian who was bishop of Lyons and an antiheretical writer; a saint and Doctor of the Church (circa 130-200). |
| ~ saint james, saint james the apostle, st. james, st. james the apostle, james | (New Testament) disciple of Jesus; brother of John; author of the Epistle of James in the New Testament. |
| ~ eusebius hieronymus, eusebius sophronius hieronymus, hieronymus, jerome, saint jerome, st. jerome | (Roman Catholic Church) one of the great Fathers of the early Christian Church whose major work was his translation of the Scriptures from Hebrew and Greek into Latin (which became the Vulgate); a saint and Doctor of the Church (347-420). |
| ~ john the divine, john the evangelist, saint john, saint john the apostle, st. john, st. john the apostle, john | (New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally said to be the author of the 4th Gospel and three epistles and the book of Revelation. |
| ~ john chrysostom, st. john chrysostom | (Roman Catholic Church) a Church Father who was a great preacher and bishop of Constantinople; a saint and Doctor of the Church (347-407). |
| ~ john the baptist, st. john the baptist | (New Testament) a preacher and hermit and forerunner of Jesus (whom he baptized); was beheaded by Herod at the request of Salome. |
| ~ judas, jude, saint jude, st. jude, thaddaeus | (New Testament) supposed brother of St. James; one of the Apostles who is invoked in prayer when a situation seems hopeless. |
| ~ laurentius, lawrence, saint lawrence, st. lawrence | Roman martyr; supposedly Lawrence was ordered by the police to give up the church's treasure and when he responded by presenting the poor people of Rome he was roasted to death on a gridiron (died in 258). |
| ~ leo i, leo the great, st. leo i | Italian pope from 440 to 461 who extended the authority of the papacy to the west and persuaded Attila not to attack Rome (440-461). |
| ~ louis ix, saint louis, st. louis | king of France and son of Louis VIII; he led two unsuccessful Crusades; considered an ideal medieval king (1214-1270). |
| ~ luke, saint luke, st. luke | (New Testament) the Apostle closely associated with St. Paul and traditionally assumed to be the author of the third Gospel. |
| ~ saint mark, st. mark, mark | Apostle and companion of Saint Peter; assumed to be the author of the second Gospel. |
| ~ martin, st. martin | French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397). |
| ~ mary magdalen, mary magdalene, st. mary magdalen, st. mary magdalene | sinful woman Jesus healed of evil spirits; she became a follower of Jesus. |
| ~ levi, matthew, saint matthew, saint matthew the apostle, st. matthew, st. matthew the apostle | (New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel. |
| ~ nicholas, saint nicholas, st. nicholas | a bishop in Asia Minor who is associated with Santa Claus (4th century). |
| ~ olaf ii, olav ii, saint olaf, saint olav, st. olaf, st. olav | King and patron saint of Norway (995-1030). |
| ~ apostle of the gentiles, apostle paul, paul the apostle, saint paul, saul of tarsus, paul, saul, st. paul | (New Testament) a Christian missionary to the Gentiles; author of several Epistles in the New Testament; even though Paul was not present at the Last Supper he is considered an Apostle.; "Paul's name was Saul prior to his conversion to Christianity" |
| ~ peter, saint peter, saint peter the apostle, simon peter, st. peter, st. peter the apostle | disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope. |
| ~ simon, simon the canaanite, simon the zealot, simon zelotes, st. simon | one of the twelve Apostles (first century). |
| ~ saint teresa of avila, teresa of avila | Spanish mystic and religious reformer; author of religious classics and a Christian saint (1515-1582). |
| ~ doubting thomas, saint thomas, st. thomas, thomas the doubting apostle, thomas | the Apostle who would not believe the resurrection of Jesus until he saw Jesus with his own eyes. |
| ~ st. vitus, vitus | Christian martyr and patron of those who suffer from epilepsy and Sydenham's chorea (died around 300). |
| n. (person) | 2. angel, holy man, holy person, saint | person of exceptional holiness. |
| ~ buddha | one who has achieved a state of perfect enlightenment. |
| ~ fakeer, fakir, faqir, faquir | a Muslim or Hindu mendicant monk who is regarded as a holy man. |
| ~ good person | a person who is good to other people. |
| n. (person) | 3. apotheosis, ideal, nonesuch, nonpareil, nonsuch, paragon, saint | model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal. |
| ~ crackerjack, jimdandy, jimhickey | someone excellent of their kind.; "he's a jimdandy of a soldier" |
| ~ role model, model | someone worthy of imitation.; "every child needs a role model" |
| ~ class act | someone who shows impressive and stylish excellence. |
| ~ humdinger | someone of remarkable excellence.; "a humdinger of a secretary" |
| v. (emotion) | 4. enshrine, saint | hold sacred. |
| ~ reverence, venerate, revere, fear | regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of.; "Fear God as your father"; "We venerate genius" |
| v. (communication) | 5. canonise, canonize, saint | declare (a dead person) to be a saint.; "After he was shown to have performed a miracle, the priest was canonized" |
| ~ organized religion, religion, faith | an institution to express belief in a divine power.; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him" |
| ~ adjudge, declare, hold | declare to be.; "She was declared incompetent"; "judge held that the defendant was innocent" |
| interrupt | | |
| n. (phenomenon) | 1. interrupt | a signal that temporarily stops the execution of a program so that another procedure can be carried out. |
| ~ signal | an electric quantity (voltage or current or field strength) whose modulation represents coded information about the source from which it comes. |
| v. (communication) | 2. break up, cut off, disrupt, interrupt | make a break in.; "We interrupt the program for the following messages" |
| ~ cut off, cut | cease, stop.; "cut the noise"; "We had to cut short the conversation" |
| ~ break off, discontinue, stop, break | prevent completion.; "stop the project"; "break off the negotiations" |
| ~ punctuate | interrupt periodically.; "Her sharp questions punctuated the speaker's drone" |
| ~ break | interrupt the flow of current in.; "break a circuit" |
| ~ put aside, put away | turn away from and put aside, perhaps temporarily.; "it's time for you to put away childish things" |
| ~ intermit, pause, break | cease an action temporarily.; "We pause for station identification"; "let's break for lunch" |
| ~ butt in, chime in, chisel in, barge in, break in, cut in, put in | break into a conversation.; "her husband always chimes in, even when he is not involved in the conversation" |
| ~ burst in on, burst upon | spring suddenly.; "He burst upon our conversation" |
| ~ heckle | challenge aggressively. |
| ~ interject, interpose, throw in, come in, inject, put in | to insert between other elements.; "She interjected clever remarks" |
| ~ block, jam | interfere with or prevent the reception of signals.; "Jam the Voice of America"; "block the signals emitted by this station" |
| ~ stop over, stop | interrupt a trip.; "we stopped at Aunt Mary's house"; "they stopped for three days in Florence" |
| ~ take time off, take off | take time off from work; stop working temporarily. |
| v. (change) | 3. disturb, interrupt | destroy the peace or tranquility of.; "Don't interrupt me when I'm reading" |
| ~ act, move | perform an action, or work out or perform (an action).; "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel" |
| v. (change) | 4. disrupt, interrupt | interfere in someone else's activity.; "Please don't interrupt me while I'm on the phone" |
| ~ cut in | interrupt a dancing couple in order to take one of them as one's own partner.; "Jim always cuts in!" |
| ~ cut short | cause to end earlier than intended.; "The spontaneous applause cut the singer short" |
| ~ butt in, chime in, chisel in, barge in, break in, cut in, put in | break into a conversation.; "her husband always chimes in, even when he is not involved in the conversation" |
| v. (change) | 5. break, interrupt | terminate.; "She interrupted her pregnancy"; "break a lucky streak"; "break the cycle of poverty" |
| ~ terminate, end | bring to an end or halt.; "She ended their friendship when she found out that he had once been convicted of a crime"; "The attack on Poland terminated the relatively peaceful period after WW I" |
| ~ hold on, stop | stop and wait, as if awaiting further instructions or developments.; "Hold on a moment!" |
| ~ break off, break short, cut short | interrupt before its natural or planned end.; "We had to cut short our vacation" |
| ~ suspend, freeze | stop a process or a habit by imposing a freeze on it.; "Suspend the aid to the war-torn country" |
| obstruct | | |
| v. (social) | 1. block, blockade, embarrass, hinder, obstruct, stymie, stymy | hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of.; "His brother blocked him at every turn" |
| ~ stonewall | obstruct or hinder any discussion.; "Nixon stonewalled the Watergate investigation"; "When she doesn't like to face a problem, she simply stonewalls" |
| ~ foreclose, forestall, preclude, prevent, forbid | keep from happening or arising; make impossible.; "My sense of tact forbids an honest answer"; "Your role in the projects precludes your involvement in the competitive project" |
| ~ filibuster | obstruct deliberately by delaying. |
| ~ check | block or impede (a player from the opposing team) in ice hockey. |
| ~ hang | prevent from reaching a verdict, of a jury. |
| ~ bottleneck | slow down or impede by creating an obstruction.; "His laziness has bottlenecked our efforts to reform the system" |
| v. (contact) | 2. block, close up, impede, jam, obstruct, obturate, occlude | block passage through.; "obstruct the path" |
| ~ block off, blockade | obstruct access to. |
| ~ barricado, barricade | block off with barricades. |
| ~ barricade | prevent access to by barricading.; "The street where the President lives is always barricaded" |
| ~ asphyxiate, suffocate, stifle, choke | impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of.; "The foul air was slowly suffocating the children" |
| ~ tie up | restrain from moving or operating normally.; "Traffic is tied up for miles around the bridge where the accident occurred" |
| ~ dam, dam up | obstruct with, or as if with, a dam.; "dam the gorges of the Yangtse River" |
| ~ block out, screen | prevent from entering.; "block out the strong sunlight" |
| ~ earth up, land up | block with earth, as after a landslide. |
| ~ barricade, block, block up, bar, block off, blockade, stop | render unsuitable for passage.; "block the way"; "barricade the streets"; "stop the busy road" |
| ~ clog, clog up, congest, choke off, foul, back up, choke | become or cause to become obstructed.; "The leaves clog our drains in the Fall"; "The water pipe is backed up" |
| ~ hinder, impede | be a hindrance or obstacle to.; "She is impeding the progress of our project" |
| v. (perception) | 3. block, obstruct | shut out from view or get in the way so as to hide from sight.; "The thick curtain blocked the action on the stage"; "The trees obstruct my view of the mountains" |
| ~ barricade, block, block up, bar, block off, blockade, stop | render unsuitable for passage.; "block the way"; "barricade the streets"; "stop the busy road" |
| ~ conceal, hide | prevent from being seen or discovered.; "Muslim women hide their faces"; "hide the money" |
| obviate | | |
| v. (stative) | 1. eliminate, obviate, rid of | do away with. |
| ~ close out, rule out, preclude | make impossible, especially beforehand. |
| v. (social) | 2. avert, avoid, debar, deflect, fend off, forefend, forfend, head off, obviate, stave off, ward off | prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening.; "Let's avoid a confrontation"; "head off a confrontation"; "avert a strike" |
| ~ foreclose, forestall, preclude, prevent, forbid | keep from happening or arising; make impossible.; "My sense of tact forbids an honest answer"; "Your role in the projects precludes your involvement in the competitive project" |
| refrain | | |
| n. (communication) | 1. chorus, refrain | the part of a song where a soloist is joined by a group of singers. |
| ~ music | an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner. |
| ~ song, vocal | a short musical composition with words.; "a successful musical must have at least three good songs" |
| ~ tra-la, tra-la-la | a set of nonsensical syllables used while humming a refrain. |
| v. (stative) | 2. forbear, refrain | resist doing something.; "He refrained from hitting him back"; "she could not forbear weeping" |
| ~ leave alone, leave behind, leave | leave unchanged or undisturbed or refrain from taking.; "leave it as is"; "leave the young fawn alone"; "leave the flowers that you see in the park behind" |
| ~ let it go | not act.; "He thought of a reply but let it go" |
| ~ abstain | refrain from voting. |
| ~ spare, save | refrain from harming. |
| ~ forbear, hold back | refrain from doing.; "she forbore a snicker" |
| ~ help oneself, help | abstain from doing; always used with a negative.; "I can't help myself--I have to smoke"; "She could not help watching the sad spectacle" |
| ~ stand by | not act or do anything.; "He just stood by when the police beat up the demonstrators" |
| ~ sit out | not participate in (an activity, such as a dance or a sports event).; "He sat out the game" |
| v. (consumption) | 3. abstain, desist, refrain | choose not to consume.; "I abstain from alcohol" |
| ~ fast | abstain from eating.; "Before the medical exam, you must fast" |
| ~ fast | abstain from certain foods, as for religious or medical reasons.; "Catholics sometimes fast during Lent" |
| ~ keep off, avoid | refrain from certain foods or beverages.; "I keep off drugs"; "During Ramadan, Muslims avoid tobacco during the day" |
| ~ teetotal | practice teetotalism and abstain from the consumption of alcoholic beverages. |
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