quell

1 of 2

verb

ˈkwel 

quelled; quelling; quells

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

Synonyms of quell

Verb

• subdue
• suppress
• repress
• quash
• crush

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

Yields have climbed despite efforts by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to quell concerns in the bond market. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026

Public confirmation of Newcastle’s intention to do just that helped to quell many of the persistent doubts amongst supporters as to how committed Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), their 85 per cent majority owners, are to the club. — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

There were angels, of course, and superheroes — men and women who gave or endangered their lives to aid and/or rescue others and those who quelled the natural instinct to panic and managed to simply survive. — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

This is what all the tech companies need to do to quell political and community opposition. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for quell

• bel
• belle
• cel
• cell
• dell
• dwell
• el
• ell
• fel
• fell
• gel
• gell

Kids Definition

quell

verb

ˈkwel

1

: to put down by force

quell a riot

2

: quiet entry 3

quell fears

queller noun