quelled; quelling; quells
1
: to thoroughly overwhelm and reduce to submission or passivity
quell a riot
queller
noun
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
Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2026
Videos that have trickled out and circulated online offer a window into the resulting crackdown in the Islamic Republic and the methods employed by security forces to quell the unrest.
—Marin Scott, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
Iran claimed to have quelled demonstrations that have lasted more than two weeks and are feared to have left hundreds dead, even easing its telecoms blackout, though an internet shutdown persisted.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 13 Jan. 2026
This time, a more emboldened administration appears to be betting that both fear and a show of force will be enough to quell a movement that has become fragmented and disillusioned through the years.
—Paola Ramos, Time, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for quell
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Verb
Now sixty-five, Petro is a survivor of a brutal era in which the Colombian state assassinated leftist leaders and butchered their followers, in an effort to quell the country’s Marxist guerrilla forces.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2026
Videos that have trickled out and circulated online offer a window into the resulting crackdown in the Islamic Republic and the methods employed by security forces to quell the unrest.
—Marin Scott, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
Iran claimed to have quelled demonstrations that have lasted more than two weeks and are feared to have left hundreds dead, even easing its telecoms blackout, though an internet shutdown persisted.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 13 Jan. 2026
This time, a more emboldened administration appears to be betting that both fear and a show of force will be enough to quell a movement that has become fragmented and disillusioned through the years.
—Paola Ramos, Time, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for quell
Cite this Entry
“Quell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quell. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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