Synonyms

quench

American

[kwench] / kwɛntʃ /

verb (used with object)

to slake, satisfy, or allay (thirst, desires, passion, etc.).
to put out or extinguish (fire, flames, etc.).
to cool suddenly by plunging into a liquid, as in tempering steel by immersion in water.
to subdue or destroy; overcome; quell.

to quench an uprising.
Electronics. to terminate (the flow of electrons in a vacuum tube) by application of a voltage.

quench British

/ kwɛntʃ /

verb

to satisfy (one's thirst, desires, etc); slake
to put out (a fire, flame, etc); extinguish
to put down or quell; suppress

to quench a rebellion
to cool (hot metal) by plunging it into cold water
physics to reduce the degree of (luminescence or phosphorescence) in (excited molecules or a material) by adding a suitable substance
electronics
1. to suppress (sparking) when the current is cut off in an inductive circuit
2. to suppress (an oscillation or discharge) in a component or device

"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

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Etymology

Origin of quench

1150–1200; Middle English quenchen, earlier cwenken; compare Old English -cwencan in ācwencan to quench ( cf. a- ³)

Explanation

Quench means to put out, put an end to, or satisfy. If you're stranded in the middle of the desert with nothing to drink, you're probably dreaming of a nice big glass of ice water to quench your thirst. Quench originally meant “extinguish fires.” That meaning still works today, but we've expanded it to also apply to quenching the fiery thirst of a summer marathon runner or quenching the hot flames of passion. If you want to get deep about the word quench, consider what Voltaire said: “Superstition sets the whole world in flames; philosophy quenches them.”

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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.

But Murree, founded in 1860 to quench the thirst of British soldiers and the colonial community during the Raj, has survived Islamist opposition and strict regulations to become one of Pakistan's most well-known companies.

From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025

The duke was sent to Germany to cool his ardour, but the imposed distance failed to quench the flame.

From BBC • Sep. 5, 2025

“This is a symbol of water to quench and heal the ground — for regrowth.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2025

Through fingerlike projections that descend upon the uterine wall, it attempts to quench the embryo’s appetite for maternal blood.

From Slate • Sep. 7, 2024

It was like drinking glass after glass of water and still emerging thirsty, and with the stirring fear that he would never quench the thirst.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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