Suppress. - means to hold back something, to keep it from developing into something, or to keep information from becoming public. Usually not referring to something being held back by violent actions. Oppress - it is usually used to refer to how someone is treaded. This is usually referring to violent or painful actions. This can also mean to hold someone back from developing but by means of oppression. “The government oppressed the people by having them live in poverty”. To rule people harshly. Repress - is very similar to oppress, but you could have a “repressed memory” a memory that is held back because it was too difficult to remember. You could use this word in much the same way as oppress.