quell
1 of 2verb
ˈkwel 
quelled; quelling; quells
transitive verb
1
: to thoroughly overwhelm and reduce to submission or passivity
quell a riot
2
: quiet, pacify
quell fears
queller noun
quell
2 of 2noun
1
obsolete : slaughter
2
archaic : the power of quelling
Synonyms
Verb
- clamp down (on)
- crack down (on)
- crush
- put down
- quash
- repress
- silence
- slap down
- snuff (out)
- squash
- squelch
- subdue
- suppress
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb the National Guard was called in to help quell the late-night disturbances downtown the principal held up her hand to quell the students so they could hear the urgent announcement
Recent Examples on the Web
Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2022 His trip amounted to a proclamation of success in his yearslong effort to quell ethnic resistance, in spite of international condemnation. New York Times, 25 July 2022 During the hearing, committee members also played witness testimony recounting efforts by Pence to quell the riot from his secure location well into the afternoon of Jan. 6. Anchorage Daily News, 22 July 2022 As the violence at the U.S. Capitol dragged on Jan. 6, 2021, aides pleaded with former President Donald Trump to call for the attack to stop and wrote up a short script for the president to read in an effort to quell the rioting. Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY, 22 July 2022 During the hearing, committee members also played witness testimony recounting efforts by Pence to quell the riot from his secure location well into the afternoon of Jan. 6. Carol D. Leonnig, Washington Post, 22 July 2022 His trip amounted to a proclamation of success in his yearslong effort to quell ethnic resistance, despite international condemnation. Chris Buckley And Amy Qin, BostonGlobe.com, 15 July 2022 The blaze, burning east of Santa Fe, is 27% contained with 2,015 personnel working to contain the fire, officials said Monday on a Facebook page providing updates on the effort to quell it. Jennifer Henderson And Jon Passantino, CNN, 16 May 2022 Rajapaksa earlier reshuffled his Cabinet and offered a unity government in an attempt to quell the protests, but opposition parties refused to join a government headed by the Rajapaksa brothers. Arkansas Online, 30 Apr. 2022 See More
Verb
In an attempt to quell the debate, Wallake wrote a follow-up post Wednesday seeking to help people in need of a job. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2022 His trip amounted to a proclamation of success in his yearslong effort to quell ethnic resistance, in spite of international condemnation. New York Times, 25 July 2022 During the hearing, committee members also played witness testimony recounting efforts by Pence to quell the riot from his secure location well into the afternoon of Jan. 6. Anchorage Daily News, 22 July 2022 As the violence at the U.S. Capitol dragged on Jan. 6, 2021, aides pleaded with former President Donald Trump to call for the attack to stop and wrote up a short script for the president to read in an effort to quell the rioting. Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY, 22 July 2022 During the hearing, committee members also played witness testimony recounting efforts by Pence to quell the riot from his secure location well into the afternoon of Jan. 6. Carol D. Leonnig, Washington Post, 22 July 2022 His trip amounted to a proclamation of success in his yearslong effort to quell ethnic resistance, despite international condemnation. Chris Buckley And Amy Qin, BostonGlobe.com, 15 July 2022 The blaze, burning east of Santa Fe, is 27% contained with 2,015 personnel working to contain the fire, officials said Monday on a Facebook page providing updates on the effort to quell it. Jennifer Henderson And Jon Passantino, CNN, 16 May 2022 Rajapaksa earlier reshuffled his Cabinet and offered a unity government in an attempt to quell the protests, but opposition parties refused to join a government headed by the Rajapaksa brothers. Arkansas Online, 30 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, to kill, quell, from Old English cwellan to kill; akin to Old High German quellen to torture, kill, quāla torment, Lithuanian gelti to hurt
Noun
Middle English, from quellen to kill
First Known Use
Verb
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
quell
verb
ˈkwel
quelled; quelling
1
: to stop or end by force
Police quelled a riot.
2
: quiet entry 4, calm
He quelled their fears.
quelling
verb
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
- subduing
- suppressing
- repressing
- crushing
- quashing
- extinguishing
- silencing
- squashing
- stifling
- overcoming
- destroying
- squelching
- sitting on
- demolishing
- quenching
- conquering
- slapping down
- throttling
- strangling
- dousing
- wrecking
- cracking down (on)
- obliterating
- decimating
- clamping down (on)
- putting down
- exterminating
- dominating
- annihilating
- vanquishing
- ruining
- smothering
- overwhelming
- smashing
- subjugating
- wasting
- desolating
- nuking
- devastating
- snuffing (out)
- overpowering
- wiping out
- dowsing
- putting out
- rubbing out
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- assisting
- aiding
- helping
- supporting
- abetting
- fomenting
- inciting
- backing
- provoking
- instigating
- stirring
- promoting
- furthering
- encouraging
- advancing
- fostering
- cultivating
- whipping (up)
- propping up
- forwarding
- nurturing
- nourishing
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
- shushing
- quieting
- silencing
- hushing
- muting
- stilling
- extinguishing
- settling
- squelching
- dumbing
- quietening
- shutting up
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- stirring
- agitating