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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of quell
But statements like those did little to quell the anger.
—
Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025
Giddey also took a significant step toward quelling concerns about him as a shooter.
—Bobby Krivitsky, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Still, their comments have done little to quell calls for greater government transparency surrounding the case.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Over the summer, the president also sent soldiers to Los Angeles in an effort to quell an outbreak of riots against mass deportation efforts led by his administration.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quell
Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025
Giddey also took a significant step toward quelling concerns about him as a shooter.
—Bobby Krivitsky, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Still, their comments have done little to quell calls for greater government transparency surrounding the case.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Over the summer, the president also sent soldiers to Los Angeles in an effort to quell an outbreak of riots against mass deportation efforts led by his administration.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quell
Verb
-
Critics panned Lyles’ subdued initial response and blamed the policies of Charlotte officials for failing to prevent the murder.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Critically, American surveillance technologies allowed a brutal mass detention campaign in the far west region of Xinjiang — targeting, tracking and grading virtually the entire native Uyghur population to forcibly assimilate and subdue them.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Jena asked, for which she was shushed), that was spotted and strong enough to kill a man.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Aug. 2025
-
In the background of the video, the 35-year-old could be heard mumbling offscreen before Megan playfully shushed him.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
14 July 2025
Verb
-
Although Canon had mandated that the Cat's programmability be suppressed, the IAI team nevertheless maintained the ability to compute expressions, which Canon permitted as an extension of the editor metaphor.—
Cameron Kaiser,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
-
However, the country's typically strict online censors did not appear to be limiting discussion in the comments—a tactic often used to suppress sensitive or politically awkward narratives.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Voices of Light will not be silenced.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
As China develops anti-satellite weapons and Russia perfects electronic warfare tactics, the US military is making a strategic bet on navigation systems that adversaries cannot silence.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This is welcome news for a system plagued by various exogenous shocks — including COVID and related frothy valuations, high interest rates and the 2022 market correction, the US electoral cycle, and tariff uncertainty — that have resulted in wide bid-ask spreads repressing deal activity.—
Control Risks,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
But outside of the ring, Christy hides and represses her lesbianism and winds up marrying her trainer Jim Martin (Ben Foster), who manipulates and physically abuses her.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
At the plaza, Seth Teasdale was nearby as Kirk flung some caps into the crowd, then settled into his seat under the canopy to take questions.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The Cortège gestures toward that transcendence, but too often settles for the kind of veiled enchantment that follows us home through our screens.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The unit has been at the center of efforts to quash the anti-Hamas protests that have periodically broken out in Gaza in recent months.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Concerns that Jalen Carter could be sidelined for the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs were quashed Tuesday, when multiple reports clarified the discipline Carter will face.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This was a somber visit, and the group was reverent, hushed.—
Jim Clash,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Jennifer Ehle and Alex Sarrigeorgiou shine in Jaclyn Bethany’s hushed yet deeply felt drama of art and desire.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Quell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quell. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share