quelling

verb

present participle of quell
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

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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

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 quelling Other ubiquitous Chinese deities, such as the regal Jade Emperor, the faithful warrior Guan Yu, the wondrous savior Mazu, and the demon-quelling Zhong Kui, fill both the popular imagination and the stuff of Daoist ritual. — Michael Naparstek, The Conversation, 6 July 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quelling
  1. subduing
  2. shushing
  3. suppressing
  4. quieting
  5. repressing
  6. silencing
  7. crushing
  8. muting
Verb
  • Rome — The death of a Moroccan man in police custody has sparked protests – some violent – in the northern city of Bologna after video of the incident showing officers forcefully subduing the man circulated online.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
  • Viewers have already seen glimpses of the premiere, which involves Aang and Katara subduing a sea serpent while guiding refugees across a treacherous path.
    — Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026
Definition of subduing
Verb
  • 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.
    — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
  • Wine country with kids in tow doesn’t have to mean a stressful afternoon of shushing and screen time.
    — Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 June 2026
Definition of shushing
Verb
  • What is left of a sprawling state apparatus is capable of little more than paying poverty wages to its employees, running hospitals with dwindling supplies, and suppressing any popular challenge to the heirs of Chavez.
    — Rafael Osío Cabrices, Time, 20 July 2026
  • The ground robots established a support-by-fire position, suppressing the Russian defenders and forcing them to remain under cover.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of suppressing
Verb
  • 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.
    — Gladys Louise Tyler, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
  • The company says the device supports sleep by lowering cortisol within minutes, slowing the heart, quieting racing thoughts and shifting users into parasympathetic mode.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026
Definition of quieting
Verb
  • When elites are strong, dictators need to accommodate them, often by repressing outsiders to shield insiders from potential challenges.
    — José Kaire, The Conversation, 17 July 2026
  • Normally, this modifier gene suppresses the creation of a second kind of hemoglobin, typically made only during fetal development; repressing the gene prompts cells to start making the fetal form of hemoglobin again, which acts as a backup.
    — Roxanne Khamsi, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
Definition of repressing
Verb
  • Rebecca Solnit on the Odyssey and the Western literary tradition of silencing women.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
  • However, defaulting to groupthink does a disservice to everyone by silencing outlier good ideas.
    — Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of silencing
Verb
  • Coming off a division title, an 11-6 record, a thrilling playoff win over the rival Packers and a crushing overtime playoff loss to the Rams, the Bears are going to be a hot-button topic over the next six weeks.
    — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • Meanwhile Leia’s lost her brother Luke and her great love Han Solo in quick succession, and the general’s trying to rebuild the Resistance after a crushing loss to the evil First Order at the Battle of Crait.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 27 July 2026
Definition of crushing
Verb
  • During the third act, in a cunning effect, when anyone picks up a phone, the screen’s contents are displayed on a wall as the lights fade, muting the friends onstage.
    — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 July 2026
  • 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.
    — Elaine Chen, STAT, 9 June 2026
Definition of muting

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quelling
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Cite this Entry

“Quelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quelling. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of quelling for Spanish Speakers

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