quell
Americanverb
-
to suppress or beat down (rebellion, disorder, etc); subdue
-
to overcome or allay
to quell pain
to quell grief
Other Word Forms
- quellable adjective
- queller noun
- unquellable adjective
- unquelled adjective
Etymology
Origin of quell
First recorded before 900; Middle English quellen, Old English cwellan “to kill”; akin to Old Norse kvelja “to torment,” German quälen “to vex”; kill 1
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.
In that time, fears about the Federal Reserve needing to raise interest rates to quell inflation have given way to concerns about the economic damage of the historic oil-price surge.
From MarketWatch
I crept into the empty bed fully dressed, clutching my recovered hair combs, and then tried to quell everything rising in my stomach.
From Literature
Announcements this past week that the U.S. would ease sanctions on Russia and contribute to the largest-ever emergency oil release—some 400 million barrels—have done little to quell prices.
In men, those white blood cells are more likely to produce a pain-resolving molecule that can quickly quell the ache, according to a recent study in the journal Science Immunology.
On Thursday, oil rose back above $100 a barrel as a planned release of strategic reserves by the International Energy Agency did little to quell fears about supply disruptions as the fighting continues.
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.
