1
as in suppressed
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shushed
to stop the noise or speech of
the principal held up her hand to quell the students so they could hear the urgent announcement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of quelled
Abreu quelled the inning, however, striking out Dylan Beavers and Coby Mayo swinging at sliders.
—
Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2026
Anxiety quelled, the party starts back up, with Bambaataa spinning a record by James Brown.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
What could not be as easily quelled were the puns.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Redick shouted out Bronny James for his efforts against Indiana after the game, lauding his defensive intensity – often being switched onto Pacers All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, and holding his own – along with a late mid-range jumper that quelled concerns of a once-improbable Indiana comeback.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
The shooter killed an instructor and wounded two others before the ROTC cadets attacked him and quelled the threat, showing incredible bravery in the face of danger.
—Nicole Russell, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
Turns out their insatiable desire for drama and noise has yet to be quelled, which means their upcoming batch of concerts will be as entrancing as ever.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 24 Mar. 2026
But Jimenez quelled that in the 76’ to break the scoreless tie.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2026
Indigenous resistance in the Perth region was quelled in 1834 only after an intense and bloody confrontation known as the Pinjarra Massacre.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2026
Anxiety quelled, the party starts back up, with Bambaataa spinning a record by James Brown.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
What could not be as easily quelled were the puns.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Redick shouted out Bronny James for his efforts against Indiana after the game, lauding his defensive intensity – often being switched onto Pacers All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, and holding his own – along with a late mid-range jumper that quelled concerns of a once-improbable Indiana comeback.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
The shooter killed an instructor and wounded two others before the ROTC cadets attacked him and quelled the threat, showing incredible bravery in the face of danger.
—Nicole Russell, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
Turns out their insatiable desire for drama and noise has yet to be quelled, which means their upcoming batch of concerts will be as entrancing as ever.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 24 Mar. 2026
But Jimenez quelled that in the 76’ to break the scoreless tie.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2026
Indigenous resistance in the Perth region was quelled in 1834 only after an intense and bloody confrontation known as the Pinjarra Massacre.
—Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quelled
Verb
-
Ukraine's air force said in a post to Telegram on Thursday that Russia launched 675 drones and 56 missiles into the country overnight, of which 652 drones and 41 missiles were intercepted or suppressed.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
-
This not only suppressed uneven vertical phase distribution but also improved film uniformity across the devices.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
To the point where Reid shushed him down at times.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Lyonne shushed the staffer, got up and headed to the bathroom, according to Page Six.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Aside from the occasional siren and the presence of television crews along the sidewalk, the atmosphere was subdued and traffic around the hospital continued to move steadily.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
-
The thin layer of this paint looked nice and subdued under this dark spot on our porch.—
Tessa Cooper,
Southern Living,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Tage Thompson momentarily quieted that Bell Centre crowd with a goal 53 seconds into the game that gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
So, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has quieted some rebellious voices by campaigning for aggressively redrawn congressional maps, Democrats should be aware of how dogged their opponents are willing to get.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
My greatest wish is that this ruling sets a precedent for the Treasury and serves the thousands of ordinary citizens who are abused and crushed every day by a system that presumes their guilt and forces them to prove their innocence at the cost of economic and emotional ruin.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
18 May 2026
-
Texas oil companies would get crushed.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Prosecutors said Castillo silenced the victim's emergency notification and turned off the emergency light.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
-
In the Middlesex League, Sankaran Menon tallied four kills, two block assists, and one ace as Lexington silenced Burlington 3-0 for a 15th straight win.—
Tyler McManus,
Boston Herald,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Even before the war began, hardship and inflation provoked nationwide protests that were brutally repressed.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Dispatches Evening Read Cubans’ Despair By Gisela Salim-Peyer Cubans for decades have been buffeted by great powers, repressed by their own government, crushed by economic crises, and paraded as the victims of a succession of sanctions imposed by the White House.—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
My limbs stilled and grew heavy in the heat, but Alice jiggled her knees up and down, bursting out with short spurts of conversation that weighed against the beauty of our silence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Hostilities were temporarily stilled by a ceasefire, but fighting resumed in early December.—
John Vink,
The Dial,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quelled. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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