quell Hear it!

quell Definition

quell (kwel)

transitive verb

  1. to crush; subdue; put an end to
  2. 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.

  1. To subdue

    put down, stop, silence; see defeat 1, 2, quiet 2, suppress.

  2. To allay

    reduce, calm, check; see quiet 1.

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.