What is the Latin word for oppress?

The usual Latin words for “oppress” are premō, opprimō, vexō; also iniungō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“oppress” in Latin

premōto press, push, press close or hard, oppress, overwhelm; to tighten, compress, shorten, press closely, squeeze; to make,opprimōto press down upon; to suppress; to take by surprise; to capture vexōto shake or jolt violently; to harass, annoy; to vex, trouble (strong term, involving violence)iniungōto join or fasten, unite; to charge, impose (a burden); to enjoin or charge

The English word oppress itself goes back to Latin premō, through oppressare.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

oppress

premere; opprimere; vexare: affligere aliquem; injuriam alicui inferre, injungere (to injure).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for oppress?: The usual Latin words for “oppress” are premō, opprimō, vexō; also iniungō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.