quell

1 of 2

verb

ˈkwel 

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

Synonyms of quell

Verb

• subdue
• suppress
• repress
• quash
• crush

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

Verb

Another term in the CN-UP memorandum aims to quell one of the STB’s concerns about Union Pacific’s potential controlling ownership of multiple local railroads that are currently jointly owned by the Class Is. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 24 July 2026

Since then, the protests have only grown and spread across the country, leaving Modi’s government scrambling to quell them. — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 24 July 2026

If anyone was worried about a lack of personality from SEC coaches this coming season, their fears were likely quelled during SEC Media Days this week. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2026

But his promise seems to be doing little to quell the unrest swelling in the capital and beyond. — Aakash Hassan, Christian Science Monitor, 23 July 2026

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

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for quell

• bel
• belle
• cel
• cell
• dell
• dwell
• el
• ell
• fel
• fell
• gel
• gell

Kids Definition

quell

verb

ˈkwel

1

: to put down by force

quell a riot

2

: quiet entry 3

quell fears

queller noun