squelch

[ skwelch ]

/ skwɛltʃ /

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See synonyms for: squelch / squelched / squelches on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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

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

verb (used without object)

to make a splashing sound.

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

noun

a squelched or crushed mass of anything.

a splashing sound.

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

Also called squelch circuit, noise suppressor. 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.

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Origin of squelch

1610–20; variant of quelch in same sense (perhaps blend of quell and quash); initial s perhaps from squash¹

OTHER WORDS FROM squelch

squelcher, nounsquelch·ing·ly, adverbsquelch·ing·ness, nounun·squelched, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use squelch in a sentence

These devices have many advanced features, such as auto squelch, memory, scan, and power-saving functions, low battery alert, keypad lock, and more.
Receive and transmit clear messages with these reliable walkie-talkies|PopSci Commerce Team|January 19, 2021|Popular-Science
Yeah,” he says finally, squelching his giggles by downing half a bottle of Bud, “that sounds like Ray.
The Stacks: The Judas Priest Teen Suicide Trial|Ivan Solotaroff|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Traditionally, the yakuza have supplied the ruling party with votes, financial aid, and squelching scandal services.
Japan’s Justice Minister to Resign Over Yakuza Ties|Jake Adelstein|October 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
All the rest—the stuff about squelching innovation, and hurting consumers—is just kabuki theater.
Nicolas Sarkozy Demands More Policing of the Internet|Dan Lyons|May 24, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Lessard's high-handed squelching of MacRae had thrown everything out of focus.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
The path was clear—he could see it squelching below him, pale in the last wet daylight—but where the devil did it lead?
The Path of the King|John Buchan
There is a stream, dark forms bending over the water, the squelching of feet in the mud.
'Neath Verdun, August-October, 1914|Maurice Genevoix
On and on did Laurence walk, the mud and water squelching under his feet, until the road again broke off into two lanes.
The House of Strange Secrets|A. Eric Bayly
Once again, and once again he struck, the flesh of her checks squelching under the blows.
Egholm and his God|Johannes Buchholtz

British Dictionary definitions for squelch

squelch

/ (skwɛltʃ) /

verb

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

(intr) to make such a noise

(tr) to crush completely; squash

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

noun

a squelching sound

something that has been squelched

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

informal a crushing remark

Derived forms of squelch

squelcher, nounsquelching, adjectivesquelchy, adjective

Word Origin for squelch

C17: of imitative origin

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

squelch

Origin of squelch

OTHER WORDS FROM squelch

Words related to squelch

How to use squelch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for squelch

Derived forms of squelch

Word Origin for squelch