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There are two quash verbs in the English language, and although their meanings are similar, they have entirely different origins. Both essentially mean to get rid of something—you can quash a rumor, for example, or you can quash a judicial order. The legal term quash (meaning "to nullify") comes from the Anglo-French words casser or quasser, meaning "to annul," and is ultimately from Latin cassus, "to void." The other quash means "to suppress or extinguish summarily and completely." It derives from the Middle English word quashen, meaning "to smash," and is ultimately from a form of the Latin verb quatere, meaning "to shake."
Synonyms
Verb (1)
- clamp down (on)
- crack down (on)
- crush
- put down
- quell
- repress
- silence
- slap down
- snuff (out)
- squash
- squelch
- subdue
- suppress
Verb (2)
Examples of quash in a Sentence
Ruth Kinane, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Though the Senate is required to convene as a court of impeachment under the chamber's rules, the Democratic majority is also expected to move to quickly quash the effort, through a motion to dismiss or delay the trial.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui last week quashed recent speculation that Kishida could meet with North Korea’s Kim.
—Brad Lendon, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
Diaz at Sunnyvale Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram expects new-vehicle incentives to sweeten as long as interest rates are quashing demand.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
Biden’s policies while president certainly didn’t hurt or quash oil production, however.
—Bywill Daniel, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
The outcome quashed all of her previous concerns: The clip, which has since garnered more than 9 million YouTube views, earned a music video of the year nomination at the 2022 South African Music Awards, and FAX Records’ Hixon sent it to Epic’s Rhone and Lewis.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2024
The judge has also quashed service for out-of-state defendants who have little or no tie to California, including Gutierrez Reed, Kenney and prop master Sarah Zachry.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024
Price is due back in court in late April, when the Los Angeles city attorney’s office is expected to try to quash a subpoena from prosecutors seeking communications between the city attorney’s office and Price.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quash.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near quash
Cite this Entry
“Quash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quash. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quash
2 of 2 verbVerb
Middle English quashen "to smash," from early French quasser, casser (same meaning), from Latin quassare "to shake violently, shatter," from quatere "to shake"
Verb
Middle English quashen "to nullify," from early French casser, quasser "to annul," from Latin cassare (same meaning), from earlier Latin cassus "void"
Legal Definition
quash
transitive verbTransitive verb
Anglo-French quasser, from Middle French casser quasser, from Late Latin cassare, from Latin cassus void
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