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

Police issued an update Wednesday to quell rumors about the circumstances of the accident. —Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026

California’s Muir Woods National Monument was the first national park unit to require vehicle reservations back in 2018 in an attempt to quell the crowds. —Graham Averill, Outside, 28 Jan. 2026

Bovino has long defended the tactics used by Border Patrol agents, calling them necessary to quell riots that threatened federal law enforcement personnel. —Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026

In this potential future, a loss of market confidence would force lawmakers to enact abrupt, massive spending cuts or tax hikes to quell panic. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 Jan. 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