quell

1 of 3

verb

ˈkwel How to pronounce quell (audio)
quelled; quelling; quells
Synonyms of quell

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 3

noun (1)

1
obsolete : slaughter
2
archaic : the power of quelling

queller

3 of 3

noun (2)

quell·​er
-ə(r)
plural -s
: one that quells

Synonyms of quell

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Verb

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Examples of quell in a Sentence

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
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Verb
But this weekend, many protests turned violent — and now French officials have implemented a curfew to quell the violence. — October 19, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026 The quiet moments of the offseason were eventually quelled by the madness of a young locker room, on a team replete with potential. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026 The French government has already promised 3,000 extra teachers in a bid to quell the unrest. — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 Ossoff has repeatedly denied interest in a White House bid, but that hasn’t quelled the talk. — Jared Gans, The Hill, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for quell

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 (1)

Middle English, from quellen to kill

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Old English cwellere killer, from cwellan to kill + -ere -er

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of quell was in the 14th century

Rhymes for quell

See All Rhymes for quell

Browse Nearby Words

quelite
quell
quellable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Quell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quell. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

quell

verb
ˈkwel
1
: to put down by force
quell a riot
2
: quiet entry 3
quell fears
queller noun
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