quell

1 of 2

verb

quelled; quelling; quells

transitive verb

1
: to thoroughly overwhelm and reduce to submission or passivity
quell a riot
2
: quiet, pacify
quell fears
queller noun

quell

2 of 2

noun

1
obsolete : slaughter
2
archaic : the power of quelling

Examples of quell in a Sentence

Verb the National Guard was called in to help quell the late-night disturbances downtown the principal held up her hand to quell the students so they could hear the urgent announcement
Recent Examples on the Web
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Verb
Parents quelled first-day jitters and snapped photos to mark the start of the school year as thousands of Capistrano Unified School District students filled classrooms again after summer break. Heather McRea, Oc Register, 20 Aug. 2025 Aikman, however, believed Switzer should have done more to quell it. Jason Jones, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025 The troops are allowed to detain people temporarily in certain circumstances until federal agents arrive, much like the guard members deployed in Los Angeles in June to help quell protests over immigration raids. Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 15 Aug. 2025 The president deployed the National Guard to quell the resistance. Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for quell

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, to kill, quell, from Old English cwellan to kill; akin to Old High German quellen to torture, kill, quāla torment, Lithuanian gelti to hurt

Noun

Middle English, from quellen to kill

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of quell was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Quell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quell. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

quell

verb
ˈkwel
1
: to put down by force
quell a riot
2
: quiet entry 3
quell fears
queller noun

More from Merriam-Webster on quell

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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