Synonyms

quash

American

[kwosh] / kwɒʃ /

verb (used with object)

to put down or suppress completely; quell; subdue.

to quash a rebellion.

Synonyms:

repress, quench, squash, crush
to make void, annul, or set aside (a law, indictment, decision, etc.).

quash British

/ kwɒʃ /

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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 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

Existing soliciting offences would have been repealed, with historic convictions quashed.

From BBC

Coplan’s backers knew he was taking a risk and that his platform could end up being quashed by regulators.

From The Wall Street Journal

The sounds and smells have quashed my appetite.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023