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
Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 July 2025
The community town hall did little to quell resident's concerns.
—David Ferrara, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Most recently, during a qualifying match between Brazil and Argentina for the 2023 World Cup, police in Rio de Janeiro police were sent into the stadium with batons to quell several fights.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2025
The protests spurred criticism of Trump’s use of the military and federal funds to quell public disapproval of these policies, after his Administration directed the California National Guard and the Marines to aid in protecting ICE operations.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for quell
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
One company helping Americans relocate to the Netherlands, GTFO Tours, reported a 200 percent increase in inquiries from U.S. nationals in the days following Trump's decision to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to quell anti-deportation protests in Los Angeles last month.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 July 2025
The community town hall did little to quell resident's concerns.
—David Ferrara, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Most recently, during a qualifying match between Brazil and Argentina for the 2023 World Cup, police in Rio de Janeiro police were sent into the stadium with batons to quell several fights.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2025
The protests spurred criticism of Trump’s use of the military and federal funds to quell public disapproval of these policies, after his Administration directed the California National Guard and the Marines to aid in protecting ICE operations.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for quell
Cite this Entry
“Quell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quell. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share