quell

verb

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\ ˈkwel

quelled; quelling; quells

Definition of quell

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to thoroughly overwhelm and reduce to submission or passivity quell a riot

2 : quiet, pacify quell fears

quell

noun

Definition of quell (Entry 2 of 2)

1 obsolete : slaughter

2 archaic : the power of quelling

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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 Imposed under colonial-era emergency regulations that the government had invoked in hopes of quelling the months-long unrest, the ban instead inflamed public anger and prompted more clashes. — Time Staff, Time, "Hong Kong Police Storm University Campus Occupied by Protesters as Courts Overturn Mask Ban," 18 Nov. 2019 The government is apparently seeing to silence protestors and quell unrest. — Wired, "How the Iranian Government Shut Off the Internet," 17 Nov. 2019 Cameroon’s main backers have looked away, hoping Mr Biya’s government would quell the rebellion and get back to fighting jihadists in the Sahel. — The Economist, "How to stop Cameroon collapsing into a full-fledged civil war," 7 Nov. 2019 After rebels seized Benghazi, the country’s second-largest city, Qaddafi pledged to quell the rebellion with indiscriminate force. — Brian Stewart, National Review, "The Education of a Cynic," 5 Oct. 2019 In an emotional town hall event, Lam was grilled and chastised for 2 hours over her and the government’s failing to quell the unrest. — Fortune, "Delisting China," 28 Sep. 2019 Ortega’s government has dismissed opponents as delinquents attempting a coup d’etat and wanted to quell unrest in Masaya before Thursday’s three-month anniversary of the start of protests across Nicaragua. — Christopher Sherman, The Seattle Times, "Nicaraguan forces violently retake symbolic city," 17 July 2018 Dramatic solos by players across the orchestra were just some of the high points in a remarkably zesty, robust performance that never managed or tried to quell the composer’s abundant senses of humor or vitality. — Zachary Lewis, cleveland, "Cleveland Orchestra inspires gratitude with performances after Thanksgiving," 2 Dec. 2019 Golden State head coach Steve Kerr has tried to quell chatter about the lottery and keep the focus on day-to-day improvement, but his glass-half-full approach will mean little without some results. — Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, "Warriors face tough reality as they fall to Lakers for fifth straight loss," 13 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'quell.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.