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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."
Examples of quash in a Sentence
Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 29 Oct. 2025
What To Know Last month, Dessner’s attorneys filed a motion to quash an attempt to serve him with the lawsuit.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
The Delhi High Court and, later, India’s Supreme Court eventually rejected calls for Husain’s summons and cleared him of obscenity charges, effectively quashing cases in other cities.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
This latter point gestures at Ofcom’s High Court battle with GB News earlier this year, during which the news network successfully quashed rulings made by the regulator.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quash
Cite this Entry
“Quash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quash. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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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