tamp down

Definitions

1. To compact a substance (usually soil) until it is flat.
2. To suppress or reduce (something, usually an emotion or thought).
   broadly, idiomatic

Equivalents

Examples

“Mr. Trump’s aides also have⟳ tried to tamp down questions about the former president’s frustrations, so as not to elevate Mr. DeSantis.”

“[Tina] Satter’s “Reality” has a dramatic vigor that’s missing from the corresponding scenes in [Susanna] Fogel’s “Winner,” but the tamped-down tone in “Winner” is actually closer to the actual tone of those interrogations, as heard firsthand in yet another film—Sonia Kennebeck’s 2021 documentary, “Reality Winner.””

CEFR level