1
as in to subdue
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
the National Guard was called in to help quell the late-night disturbances downtown
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of quell
Pritzker and Johnson have both rejected the push to deploy hundreds of National Guard soldiers to Illinois in an effort to quell criminal activity and crack down on immigration enforcement.
—
Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 8 Oct. 2025
That argument hasn’t quelled internal frustration.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
The first formal use of the act occurred in 1808, although instances of federal troops being deployed to quell riots had taken place prior to its passage.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
The lightweight gel also features hectorite clay—a purifying agent to absorb excess sebum—niacinamide, and of course, ceramides to quell shine and keep blemishes at bay.
—Beatrice Zocchi, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quell
Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 8 Oct. 2025
That argument hasn’t quelled internal frustration.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
The first formal use of the act occurred in 1808, although instances of federal troops being deployed to quell riots had taken place prior to its passage.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
The lightweight gel also features hectorite clay—a purifying agent to absorb excess sebum—niacinamide, and of course, ceramides to quell shine and keep blemishes at bay.
—Beatrice Zocchi, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quell
Verb
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Likewise, evil will not be defeated by the emergence of an individual Chosen One, a lone hero possessed of a wand powerful enough to subdue his enemy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Oct. 2025
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To be sure, the declines in major banks were relatively subdued Thursday.—
Alex Harring,Sarah Min,
CNBC,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the clip, the then-6-year-old can be seen walking with his iPad to the next room and shushing everyone.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
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The View has a long history of guests receiving sustained standing ovations — and Goldberg attempting to shush rowdy audience members.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Secret Commonwealth is the condemnation of a world where imagination—not making things up, but a way of seeing, understanding, feeling the world—is suppressed by the dual forces of cold rationality and religious fundamentalisms that breed authoritarianism.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Oct. 2025
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That power is often used to unfairly influence elections through massive campaign donations, to interfere with independent journalism by buying media outlets, and to suppress competition in markets.—
Scott Ellis,
Time,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Field hockey In the Middlesex league, Ava Anderson, Aisling Brennock, Sophia Setouhi and Kaylee Master each scored a goal while Natalia Keuchkarian got the shutout as Watertown silenced Arlington 4-0.—
Kristina Banahan,
Boston Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
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The priest held up his hand to silence the crowd.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Critics, though, have argued that these efforts are serving to distract from the country’s record of repressing free speech and dissent, as well as human rights violations, which have been widely reported.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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If the past offers any guide, however, Havana will instead continue to rely on its formidable security apparatus to repress is citizens, while privatizing in ways that do not threaten the power and privileges of the elite.—
Joseph J. Gonzalez,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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His seventh-inning shot settled in the left-center bleachers and crushed the Brewers, who had finally chased him from the mound by getting two runners on in the top of the inning, only to go scoreless anyway when reliever Alex Vesia escaped the jam.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
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To get the $300 in bonus bets, your initial $5 bet has to settle as a win, and your wager must be on a market that has odds of -500 or longer.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This latter point gestures at Ofcom’s High Court battle with GB News earlier this year, during which the news network successfully quashed rulings made by the regulator.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
20 Oct. 2025
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But with a ceasefire in place, Hamas quickly moved to quash defiance, aiming to cement the authority denied to them in the nascent agreement.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The vibe is hushed and calming.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
13 Oct. 2025
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McIlroy would hush the USA crowd after putts, while Reed would bow to their applause.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Quell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quell. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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