quell
Americanverb
-
to suppress or beat down (rebellion, disorder, etc); subdue
-
to overcome or allay
to quell pain
to quell grief
Other Word Forms
- quellable adjective
- queller noun
- unquellable adjective
- unquelled adjective
Etymology
Origin of quell
First recorded before 900; Middle English quellen, Old English cwellan “to kill”; akin to Old Norse kvelja “to torment,” German quälen “to vex”; kill 1
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.
Student protests, when universities reopened, were quickly quelled.
From Barron's
Student protests, when universities reopened, were quickly quelled.
From Barron's
The filing also alleges that video shows Seitz crossed the street after the altercation had initially been quelled, and ran to confront Hernandez and Austin a second time.
From Los Angeles Times
CNN Worldwide Chief Executive Mark Thompson tried to quell some of those fears, particularly inside his own newsroom.
From Los Angeles Times
Not even another strong earnings report from industry bellwether Nvidia was enough to quell the market jitters.
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.
