Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Oppress \Op*press"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Oppressed}; p. pr. &
   vb. n. {Oppressing}.] [F. oppresser, LL. oppressare, fr. L.
   oppressus, p. p. of opprimere; ob (see {Ob-}) + premere to
   press. See {Press}.]
   1. To impose excessive burdens upon; to overload; hence, to
      treat with unjust rigor or with cruelty. --Wyclif.

            For thee, oppress[`e]d king, am I cast down. --Shak.

            Behold the kings of the earth; how they oppress Thy
            chosen !                              --Milton.

   2. To ravish; to violate. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

   3. To put down; to crush out; to suppress. [Obs.]

            The mutiny he there hastes to oppress. --Shak.

   4. To produce a sensation of weight in (some part of the
      body); as, my lungs are oppressed by the damp air; excess
      of food oppresses the stomach.

Source : WordNet®

oppress
     v 1: come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority;
          "The government oppresses political activists" [syn: {suppress},
           {crush}]
     2: cause to suffer; "Jews were persecuted in the former Soviet
        Union" [syn: {persecute}]