quash

1 of 2

verb (1)

ˈkwäsh 

ˈkwȯsh

quashed; quashing; quashes

transitive verb

: to suppress or extinguish summarily and completely

quash a rebellion

quash

2 of 2

verb (2)

quashed; quashing; quashes

transitive verb

: to nullify especially by judicial action

quash an indictment

Did you know?

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 of quash

Verb (1)

• quell
• suppress
• subdue

Verb (2)

• abolish
• repeal
• cancel
• overturn
• avoid
• vacate

Examples of quash in a Sentence

Verb (1)

the dictator commanded the army to quash the uprising without mercy

Verb (2)

attorneys asked the court to quash the indictment

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Rios has sought to quash concerns about politization of America’s birthday. —Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025

Any hope that a 3-1 win over Cardiff City to progress to the Carabao Cup semi-finals would lighten Maresca’s mood were soon quashed post match. —Simon Johnson, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025

Moscow managed complex global intelligence operations, supplied arms to insurgents across the globe, quashed national liberation movements in Eastern Europe and the Baltics, and spread communist ideology around the world. —Jennifer Lind, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2025

Oracle did not talk about that on the call Wednesday night, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Thursday morning on CNBC did little to quash those worries. —Zev Fima, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English quashen to smash, from Anglo-French quasser, casser, from Latin quassare to shake violently, shatter, frequentative of quatere to shake

Verb (2)

Middle English quassen, from Anglo-French casser, quasser to annul, from Late Latin cassare, from Latin cassus void

First Known Use

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for quash

• bosh
• frosh
• gosh
• josh
• posh
• slosh
• squash
• swash
• tosh
• wash
• backwash
• downwash

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

quash

1 of 2 verb

ˈkwäsh 

ˈkwȯsh

: to put down completely : quell

quash a rebellion

quash

2 of 2 verb

: to cancel by court action

quash a criminal charge

Etymology

Verb

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 verb

ˈkwäsh, ˈkwȯsh 

: to make void : annul sense 2

quash a subpoena

Etymology

Transitive verb

Anglo-French quasser, from Middle French casser, quasser, from Late Latin cassare, from Latin cassus void