Depress is used as a verb with several senses. Which meaning fits the common usage to press or force down?

• A. To press or force down
• B. To weaken
• C. To lower the amount of something
• D. To make someone feel quite sad

Answer: (A)

The meaning tested is the literal, physical action of applying downward pressure. Depress in this sense means to push something down with your finger or hand, like pressing a button, a lever, or a pedal. It’s a direct action you perform to activate or engage a mechanism—depress the brake pedal, depress the key on a keyboard, depress the switch to turn on a device.

The other senses exist but describe different ideas. Depress can also mean to make something lower in level or intensity, or to cause someone to feel sad, but those are not about the act of physically pressing down. For the common usage described here, the best fit is the straightforward idea of pressing down.