1
as in subduing
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
2
as in shushing
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 quelling
The very system itself - schooling and parenting - now operates on quelling agency.
—
Mimosa Jones Tunney,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2026
The mosquitoes came out in droves at night, just before bed, quelling our ambitions of stargazing or watching for the northern lights.
—
John Bowe,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
Owens, who tried to reach third, was gunned down by left fielder Brendan Brock, quelling the early threat.
—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
7 June 2026
Also quelling demand is China’s pivot toward producing chemicals from raw materials like coal instead of oil, according to analysts.
—
Devika Krishna Kumar,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
Centered on Zhong Kui, the iconic demon-quelling deity of Chinese folklore, the family-friendly adventure follows a young human girl named Chujiu who accidentally enters the underworld.
—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
1 June 2026
And then there’s a man falling from a building, smoke bombs, and an army quelling protesters.
—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
27 May 2026
After Congress passed a law lifting restrictions on the army’s role in quelling civil unrest late Tuesday, Paz now has the constitutional authority to invoke this power.
—
ABC News,
27 May 2026
Government forces brought reinforcements into Suqaylabiyah, quelling the violence.
—
Omar Albam,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
Mimosa Jones Tunney,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2026
The mosquitoes came out in droves at night, just before bed, quelling our ambitions of stargazing or watching for the northern lights.
—
John Bowe,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
Owens, who tried to reach third, was gunned down by left fielder Brendan Brock, quelling the early threat.
—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
7 June 2026
Also quelling demand is China’s pivot toward producing chemicals from raw materials like coal instead of oil, according to analysts.
—
Devika Krishna Kumar,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
Centered on Zhong Kui, the iconic demon-quelling deity of Chinese folklore, the family-friendly adventure follows a young human girl named Chujiu who accidentally enters the underworld.
—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
1 June 2026
And then there’s a man falling from a building, smoke bombs, and an army quelling protesters.
—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
27 May 2026
After Congress passed a law lifting restrictions on the army’s role in quelling civil unrest late Tuesday, Paz now has the constitutional authority to invoke this power.
—
ABC News,
27 May 2026
Government forces brought reinforcements into Suqaylabiyah, quelling the violence.
—
Omar Albam,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quelling
Verb
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Viewers have already seen glimpses of the premiere, which involves Aang and Katara subduing a sea serpent while guiding refugees across a treacherous path.
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Officers then shot her with a Taser, subduing her enough to take her into custody, police said.
Verb
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Trae Young won Madison Square Garden’s undying enmity in the 2021 playoffs for the Atlanta Hawks, punctuating game-breaking shots by shushing the crowd or bowing to the fans and waving goodbye.
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Wine country with kids in tow doesn’t have to mean a stressful afternoon of shushing and screen time.
Verb
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The migrating dust can move from the African desert more than 5,000 miles westward over the Atlantic and is known for suppressing rainfall and conditions that support hurricanes.
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At a status hearing Wednesday, an attorney for defendant Charles Green argued in favor of suppressing some of the evidence in the case.
Verb
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However, the Rams’ acquisition of Garrett puts a team that was firmly a Super Bowl favorite back in the conversation for a 2026 Super Bowl run, quieting the doubters who rose after the 2026 NFL Draft.
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The company says the device supports sleep by lowering cortisol within minutes, slowing the heart, quieting racing thoughts and shifting users into parasympathetic mode.
Verb
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People who were explored through an untraditional lens, or people living on the margins … who are repressing, hiding.
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The Murillo-Ortega dictatorship has been accused of repressing the Nicaraguan people — especially Catholic and LGBTQ citizens.
Verb
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That protein keeps the seals between your gut cells closed by silencing the genes that would otherwise loosen them.
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Psychologists call the underlying habit self-silencing.
Verb
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Many of our schools do a decent job of crushing students’ desire for mental effort.
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And in the end, the Sox scored their most runs in a game since 1970, crushing the Kansas City Royals 22-1 in front of 31,130 at Rate Field.
Verb
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But the field has struggled to figure out a means of delivering RNA-muting molecules into organs and tissues beyond the liver, which has limited their reach.
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Historians have written about how the widespread fear and conformity of these periods reshaped American society in enduring ways, including the destruction of progressive political movements and both delaying and muting the Civil Rights Movement itself.
Cite this Entry
“Quelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quelling. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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