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
Bloomberg reports that software companies including McAfee, Rocket Software, and Perforce Software have disclosed their earnings ahead of schedule to quell fears that AI may be upending the business model for these legacy software providers. John Kell, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026 But Funk’s reassurances was enough to quell the agitated crowd. Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026 Dropping off the festival didn’t ultimately quell all of the unrest in Shinedown’s fan base. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026 Winds whipped and livestock fled as first responders tried to quell the intense flames, another video showed. Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 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 19 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

quell

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

More from Merriam-Webster on quell

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