squelching

verb

present participle of squelch
1
as in suppressing
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force immediately squelched any signs of rebellion

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shushing
to stop the noise or speech of his irritated glare squelched any other potential objectors

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 squelching The other 32 states plan to continue trying to convince a jury that Live Nation Entertainment and its ticketing subsidiary, Ticketmaster, are squelching competition and driving up prices for fans. — Larry Neumeister, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026 The other 32 states plan to continue trying to convince a jury that Live Nation Entertainment and its ticketing subsidiary, Ticketmaster, are squelching competition and driving up prices for fans. — ABC News, 13 Mar. 2026 The continuation of the trial will leave the states to press claims to further dismantle a monopoly the Justice Department said was squelching competition and driving up prices for fans. — Larry Neumeister, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2026 Stylistically, the album feels of a piece with the work of post-Earl MCs like MIKE or Navy Blue, delivering meditations over electro-funk loops resplendent with squelching synths, twinkling keys, and Jimmy Jam drums. — Liam Inscoe-Jones, Pitchfork, 5 Mar. 2026 New Orleans remained comfortably in front from there, with Poole's virtually squelching any chance of a late Sixers comeback. — CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026 Then, civic leaders and voters can openly debate the wisdom of squelching free speech and unfettered human inquiry. — James Druckman, Mercury News, 17 Oct. 2025 Whoever came up with the idea to merge a Planet Earth–style doc with the screeching score, squelching sounds, and jump scares of the horror genre, congratulations. — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025 In between times, there are long shots of the gingko, tree’s-eye views of what is happening on the ground and squelching closeups of germinating seeds – luscious and inescapably sensual. — Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squelching
  1. suppressing
  2. shushing
  3. quelling
  4. silencing
  5. subduing
  6. muting
  7. repressing
  8. quieting
Verb
  • This prescription treatment works by suppressing ovarian hormone production while providing add-back hormones to help regulate the hormone levels and help manage symptoms over time.
    — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 14 July 2026
  • And Syracuse University seemed more interested in suppressing news of a rape epidemic than solving it.
    — ProPublica, ProPublica, 14 July 2026
Definition of suppressing
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
  • 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
Definition of quelling
Verb
  • Widdecombe’s death has shaken British politics, silencing a longtime conservative voice from Parliament and Europe who later became a Reform UK firebrand remembered by friends for personal warmth and sharp humor.
    — Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
  • Meanwhile, Roche has abandoned two Huntington’s gene-silencing drugs after disappointing data, and drugmakers have stepped in to promote Medicare’s new obesity drug discount program.
    — Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 10 July 2026
Definition of silencing
Verb
  • 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
  • Officers then shot her with a Taser, subduing her enough to take her into custody, police said.
    — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Definition of subduing
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
Verb
  • 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
  • People who were explored through an untraditional lens, or people living on the margins … who are repressing, hiding.
    — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2026
Definition of repressing
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

Browse Nearby Words

squelches
squelching
squib
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Cite this Entry

“Squelching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squelching. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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