1
as in to subdue
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
the National Guard was called in to help quell the late-night disturbances downtown
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Recent Examples of quell
Firefighters will continue trying to quell the fires.
—
Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
At least five people have been killed, and thousands have been forced to evacuate as fires have spread this week across parts of Los Angeles County, with high winds further complicating efforts to quell the blazes.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 9 Jan. 2025
The country has properly managed a civilian nuclear power industry for decades, which should quell concerns about its ability to safely handle nuclear materials.
—Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 30 Dec. 2024
Riley issued a public statement in an effort to quell swirling Butler trade rumors last month, insisting Miami would not move on from its best two-way player this year.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for quell 
Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
At least five people have been killed, and thousands have been forced to evacuate as fires have spread this week across parts of Los Angeles County, with high winds further complicating efforts to quell the blazes.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 9 Jan. 2025
The country has properly managed a civilian nuclear power industry for decades, which should quell concerns about its ability to safely handle nuclear materials.
—Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 30 Dec. 2024
Riley issued a public statement in an effort to quell swirling Butler trade rumors last month, insisting Miami would not move on from its best two-way player this year.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for quell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quell
Verb
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Old tires were set ablaze beneath it and the fire department was called to subdue the flames, and the mob.—
Mary Logan Bikoff,
New York Times,
18 Jan. 2025
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The money will benefit first responders — who are still working to subdue the catastrophic flames in multiple parts of L.A. — as well as many of the tens of thousands of residents who have been displaced from their homes due to evacuation orders around the city.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In a sweet video shared on Instagram, the family could be seen hunkering down on a sectional couch, shushing each other and staring intently at their television screen as Kerry Washington and Andrew Garfield announced the nominees.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2025
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The players did a lap of honour, with Bellingham celebrating with his team’s supporters and shushing the Barca fans.—
Mario Cortegana,
The Athletic,
21 Apr. 2024
Verb
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Demographers have found little, if any, evidence that EWIs harm or suppress the employment or wages of local people.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
26 Jan. 2025
-
To keep shooting, Pasha must suppress his rage and only dares to carry out small protests — such as playing the U.S. national anthem sung by Lady Gaga — but those are enough to earn him suspicion.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The Times can file a motion to strike under the California anti-SLAPP statute, arguing that Baldoni is trying to silence speech protected by the First Amendment.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2025
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Once the need to gain weight started nagging, that other, restrictive noise was suddenly silenced.—
Brooke Eby,
People.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Few would lament the end of the country’s current government, especially those who have been repressed by it for 40 years.—
Richard Nephew,
Foreign Affairs,
2 Jan. 2025
-
Donald Trump’s return to the presidency is expected to end four years of tight regulatory oversight (if not overreach, by some critics’ assessments), setting free the animal spirits repressed amid post-Peak Streaming pullbacks, strikes and other complications.—
David Bloom,
Forbes,
31 Dec. 2024
Verb
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His father was a research scientist for the Department of Agriculture, and his peripatetic family lived in the plains states, the Pacific Northwest and the Southeast before settling in Alexandria, Virginia, where Lynch attended high school.—
Chris Morris,
Variety,
16 Jan. 2025
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Wakil, who was born in Syria and raised in Venezuela before settling in Miami more than a decade ago, was a rags to riches businessman who profited from his corrupt contracts with the Venezuelan government, U.S. authorities say.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The settlement would enable the Murdoch camp to quash the public presentation of evidence by Harry and Watson's legal team —evidence meant to show that the Murdoch daily tabloid the Sun also engaged in widespread criminality in its reporting methods.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
21 Jan. 2025
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The early exits from would-be Cinderellas did not quash the market.—
Andy McCullough,
The Athletic,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
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That hushed any skeptic who assumed his power was declining, as his home run total had decreased from 36 to 29 to 24 in previous seasons.—
Zack Meisel,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
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Giddy with excitement over the end of season win, Biles posted a video of her and her friend after the game attempting to celebrate quietly while hushing and grinning ear to ear.—
Rachel Flynn,
People.com,
7 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near quell
Cite this Entry
“Quell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quell. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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