quell

[ kwel ]
See synonyms for: quellquelledquelling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to suppress; put an end to; extinguish: The troops quelled the rebellion quickly.

  2. to vanquish; subdue.

  1. to quiet or allay (emotions, anxieties, etc.): The child's mother quelled his fears of the thunder.

Origin of quell

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English quellen, Old English cwellan “to kill”; akin to Old Norse kvelja “to torment,” German quälen “to vex”; cf. kill1

Other words for quell

Opposites for quell

Other words from quell

  • quell·a·ble, adjective
  • queller, noun
  • un·quell·a·ble, adjective
  • un·quelled, adjective

Words that may be confused with quell

Words Nearby quell

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use quell in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quell

quell

/ (kwɛl) /


verb(tr)
  1. to suppress or beat down (rebellion, disorder, etc); subdue

  2. to overcome or allay: to quell pain; to quell grief

Origin of quell

1
Old English cwellan to kill; related to Old Saxon quellian, Old High German quellen, Old Norse kvelja to torment

Derived forms of quell

  • queller, noun

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