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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
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2025
Conservatives swiftly lambasted Boasberg’s opinion and suggested the Department of Justice should quash it.
—David Catanese, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2025
Other smaller pro-democracy parties and civic groups have closed since Beijing in 2020 imposed a national security law giving the authorities sweeping powers to quash opposition, part of a crackdown on free expression more generally.
—Tiffany May, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Assad relied on Russia’s military power to help quash the more than 13-year civil war and took safe haven in Moscow.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 7 Apr. 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 2 May. 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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