quell

1 of 2

verb

quelled; quelling; quells
Synonyms of quell

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

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
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Verb
Al Capone’s brother Frank was killed in a shootout with Chicago police who were hired by Cicero to quell election disturbances in the village. Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026 Extending the lottery to include the teams that lost in the Play-In Tournament should quell any slippery slope scenarios in which people believe teams will drop out of the Play-In for better lottery odds. Zach Harper, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026 Any news about Nix’s ankle rehab has been quiet since the Broncos quarterback took to the media to quell concerns about a preexisting ankle issue following some strange post-season messaging from Payton. Luca Evans, Denver Post, 28 Mar. 2026 Government forces brought reinforcements into Suqaylabiyah, quelling the violence. Omar Albam, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for quell

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of quell was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Quell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quell. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

quell

verb
ˈkwel
1
: to put down by force
quell a riot
2
: quiet entry 3
quell fears
queller noun

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