quell
1quell
vt \ˈkwel\Definition of QUELL
1
: to thoroughly overwhelm and reduce to submission or passivity <quell a riot>
— quell·er noun
Examples of QUELL
- <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>
Origin of QUELL
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
First Known Use: 13th century
Related to QUELL
Synonyms: clamp down (on), crack down (on), crush, put down, quash, repress, silence, slap down, snuff (out), squash, squelch, subdue, suppress, sit on
Related Words: douse (also dowse), extinguish, put out, quench; smother, stifle, strangle, throttle; annihilate, decimate, demolish, desolate, destroy, devastate, nuke, rub out, ruin, smash, waste, wreck; exterminate, obliterate, wipe out; conquer, dominate, overcome, overpower, overwhelm, subdue, subjugate, vanquish
Rhymes with QUELL
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