quash
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to subdue forcefully and completely; put down; suppress
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to annul or make void (a law, decision, etc)
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to reject (an indictment, writ, etc) as invalid
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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quashsimple
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quashessimple
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have quashedperfect
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has quashedperfect
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am quashingprogressive
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are quashingprogressive
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is quashingprogressive
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have been quashingperfect progressive
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has been quashingperfect progressive
Past
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quashedsimple
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had quashedperfect
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was quashingprogressive
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were quashingprogressive
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had been quashingperfect progressive
Future
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; cf. concussion); in part < Late Latin cassāre to annul, derivative of Latin cassus empty, void
Explanation
Quash means to put down, stop, extinguish, and it’s usually used to talk about ideas, feelings, or political movements. You wouldn’t quash a grape underfoot; you would squash it. But if you were a military dictator, you would quash a revolution. Quash is an extreme word. It comes from the French word for smash, or shatter. If something is quashed it is completely suppressed, usually by something or someone very powerful or authoritative. If you wrote a poem and asked your favorite teacher to read it, and that teacher tore it to pieces, then your hopes were most likely quashed.
Vocabulary lists containing quash
40 SAT words Beginning with "Q"
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Scrabble: Words that Begin with Q
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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.
They will remain in place unless challenges filed by Israel convince appeals-court judges at the ICC to quash them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
"The authorities should promptly quash these latest convictions and sentences, and unconditionally release Kem Sokha and all others arbitrarily detained for exercising their rights," said Laurence.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
By her own recognition, that can establish a certain public perception - and it is something she is keen to quash after swapping Mediterranean life for a relegation battle in the East Midlands.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
District Court for the District of Columbia—weighed in, mincing no words when agreeing to quash those subpoenas.
From Slate • Mar. 19, 2026
Whether this statement will be enough to quash the rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods an hour later, remains to be seen.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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.
