quell

1 of 2

verb

quelled; quelling; quells
Synonyms of quellnext

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 2

noun

1
obsolete : slaughter
2
archaic : the power of quelling

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
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.
Verb
His statement did little to quell the outrage. Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026 Soon after the national security law imposed by Beijing to quell the 2019 massive pro-democracy demonstrations took effect in June 2020, police arrested Lai. Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026 Last week’s ouster of Alex Chriss after less than two and a half years as chief executive officer has prompted analysts to weigh what businesses PayPal might sell off to get its performance back on track and quell shareholder concerns. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026 Fischnaller immediately flew home to upstate New York, hopped up on painkillers and muscle relaxers that did little to quell her discomfort. Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 9 Feb. 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

Middle English, from quellen to kill

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Quell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quell. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.

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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