quell

1 of 2

verb

quelled; quelling; quells
Synonyms of quellnext

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
Over the past few months, the pending consolidation sparked many fears, which David Ellison tried to quell. Mandalit Del Barco, NPR, 23 Apr. 2026 His responses didn’t appear to quell the calls for his departure from many members. Jared Gans, The Hill, 21 Apr. 2026 What could not be as easily quelled were the puns. ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026 The manifesto will also do little to quell claims of party connections to Russia. Sebastian Shukla, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 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 25 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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