quell

1 of 2

verb

ˈkwel

quelled; quelling; quells

Synonyms of quell next

transitive verb

: to thoroughly overwhelm and reduce to submission or passivity

quell a riot

: quiet, pacify

quell fears

queller noun

quell

2 of 2

noun

obsolete : slaughter

archaic : the power of quelling

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

Attempting to quell public outrage, Qantas kept aside A$2.2 million of Joyce’s short-term bonus for the fiscal year ended June 30, while a chunk of his long-term bonuses are subject to clawback, the carrier said in a statement accompanying its annual report released Wednesday. —

Angus Whitley, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2023 Adventure City is safe and secure on land, at sea and in the air thanks to the elite PAW Patrol and their efforts to quell crime and avert disasters. —

Courtney Howard, Variety, 18 Sep. 2023 The memo was part of a larger effort by McConnell's office to quell the intense speculation about his political future. —

Emily Jacobs, Washington Examiner, 6 Sep. 2023 Police used rubber bullets and stun grenades to quell the violence, and officials advised residents to avoid the area in central Tel Aviv. —

Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2023 Joyce’s body couldn’t tolerate heavy pain medication, so when doctors tried to quell her agony, her face swelled and her blood pressure spiked instead. —

AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2023 Masking orders at certain sites, such as workplaces, have been ordered specifically to quell an outbreak. —

Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2023 But Smith’s naysaying did little to quell the growing fervor; within days, hundreds of sightseers jammed the country roads of Point Pleasant, hoping to get a glimpse of the red-eyed whatever. —

Colin Dickey, Popular Mechanics, 31 Aug. 2023 The county has also sought to quell rumors about just what is going on behind the barriers. —

Karin Brulliard and Anumita Kaur, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quell.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of quell was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century