quell Definition
quell (kwel)
transitive verb
- to crush; subdue; put an end to
- to quiet; allay
Etymology: ME quellen < OE cwellan, to kill, akin to qwalu, death, Ger quälen, torment, afflict < IE base *gwel-, to stab, pain, death > OIr at-baill, (he) dies
noun
Obsolete a killing; murder
quell Related Forms
quell′er noun
quell Synonyms
quell
v.
quell Usage Examples
Object
- rebellion: Darius tells how he was able to quell the rebellions with the help of seven nobles.
- uprising: Thomas More attempts to quell the uprising with wise words pleading for racial harmony.
- mutiny: I took up an oar and tried to quell the mutiny; I cried no!
- unrest: The invasion was a blatant attempt to use the flag waving patriotism of war to quell unrest in the working classes.
- revolt: XIV was ordered back to the continent from Britain to help quell the revolt.
- riot: With the aid of soldiers, he quelled the food riots of 1757.
Used with why or when
what: Even card-carrying Labor supporters are questioning why Crean has not quelled what appears to be an anti-Israel backlash on his backbench.
Present participle complement
grow: MAFF and DH issued press releases notifying the public of the discovery and attempting to quell growing consumer fears.
Modifying Another Word
- quickly: In a second incident, there was a minor disturbance on a train at Warrington which was quickly quelled by police.
- soon: His frustration was soon quelled by the home side finally fashioning a second on 52 minutes.
- not: What they have done will not quell the population fighting for a fairer form of taxation.
- only: Fights broke out and were only quelled by the arrival of more police.
- n't: When water did n't quell the rushes, she drank more and more.
- hardly: The passage of time has hardly quelled interest in human reproductive cloning.
Browse dictionary entries near quell
- ‹ queer
- ‹ Queensland
- ‹ Queensberry rules
- ‹ Queens
- ‹ queenly
- ‹ queen truss
- ‹ queen-size
- ‹ queen's metal
- ‹ Queen's Bench
- ‹ queen regnant
- quelque chose ›
- Quemoy ›
- quench ›
- quenelle ›
- Quentin ›
- Querétaro ›
- quercetin ›
- quercine ›
- quercitron ›
- querist ›

