verb
-
to subdue forcefully and completely; put down; suppress
-
to annul or make void (a law, decision, etc)
-
to reject (an indictment, writ, etc) as invalid
Other Word Forms
- unquashed adjective
Etymology
Origin of quash
1300–50; Middle English quashen to smash, break, overcome, suppress < Old French quasser, in part < Latin quassāre to shake (frequentative of quatere to shake; concussion ); in part < Late Latin cassāre to annul, derivative of Latin cassus empty, void
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Thursday, Hong Kong's Court of Appeal quashed the convictions of Lai and another defendant who had been accused of illegally subletting office space.
From BBC
They also said the ruling quashing the ban was paused "pending determination of the defendant's appeal to the Court of Appeal, or further order".
From BBC
He said he had a scheduled call that day with Ruemmler to discuss his work on a legal motion to quash a subpoena directed at Epstein.
On Friday, the sheriff’s department sought to quash rumors that there was a divide between local and federal investigators, centered around the handling of evidence and which lab it should be sent to.
From Los Angeles Times
She says: "You work together and pour your heart into this dream. So to watch the doors close right in front of your eyes and your dreams be quashed is absolutely devastating, emotionally and financially."
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
