squelch

American  

[skwelch] / skwɛltʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to strike or press with crushing force; crush down; squash.

2. to put down, suppress, or silence, as with a crushing retort or argument.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to make a splashing sound.

2. to tread heavily in water, mud, wet shoes, etc., with such a sound.

noun

1. a squelched or crushed mass of anything.

2. a splashing sound.

3. an act of squelching or suppressing, as by a crushing retort or argument.

4. Also called noise suppressor.  Also called squelch circuit,.  Electronics. a circuit in a receiver, as a radio receiver, that automatically reduces or eliminates noise when the receiver is tuned to a frequency at which virtually no carrier wave occurs.

squelch British  

/ skwɛltʃ /

verb

1. (intr) to walk laboriously through soft wet material or with wet shoes, making a sucking noise

2. (intr) to make such a noise

3. (tr) to crush completely; squash

4. informal (tr) to silence, as by a crushing retort

---

noun

1. a squelching sound

2. something that has been squelched

3. electronics a circuit that cuts off the audio-frequency amplifier of a radio receiver in the absence of an input signal, in order to suppress background noise

4. informal a crushing remark

Other Word Forms

• squelcher
  noun
• squelching
  adjective
• squelchingly
  adverb
• squelchingness
  noun
• squelchy
  adjective
• unsquelched
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of squelch

1610–20; variant of quelch in same sense (perhaps blend of quell and quash ); initial s perhaps from squash ¹

Explanation

When you squelch something, you're putting an end to it. You can squelch an idea or a rebellion. This word has several meanings, but it's usually a verb for crushing things. A mean remark could squelch your self-confidence, and a powerful military could squelch an invading country. Squelching can also mean to make a squelch-like sucking sound — or to slop, slosh, splash, and squish through the mud. There's also a type of electric circuit that cuts off when the signal is weak: that's a squelch circuit, which squelches the connection.

Example Sentences

"Just wondering if Tomasson could feasibly have got any slower than he was in his 'pomp' at Newcastle," writes someone trading under the name of Squelch.

From The Guardian • Jun. 19, 2010

Two coaxial rotary knobs for Power On/Off, Volume and Squelch are on the top of the radio.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Volume and Squelch control knobs on the unit I tested tended to move together�a bit more separation and a higher detent force for the volume knob will help.

From Time Magazine Archive

Through the French windows I saw Squelch playing Twister with two younger kids and a man I guessed was their dad.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Squelch did this electrocuted dance that more kids copied to take the piss at first, but actually it worked.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Related Words

• crush
• extinguish
• muffle
• oppress
• repress
• smother
• squash
• stifle
• thwart