quelled; quelling; quells
1
: to thoroughly overwhelm and reduce to submission or passivity
quell a riot
queller
noun
Examples of quell in a Sentence
Verb
the National Guard was called in to help quell the late-night disturbances downtown
the principal held up her hand to quell the students so they could hear the urgent announcement
Recent Examples on the Web
arkansasonline.com, 20 Mar. 2025
Authorities placed a ban on public demonstrations for four days in an attempt to quell any growing backlash to the arrests.
—Chris Massaro, Fox News, 19 Mar. 2025
So in 1798, the Federalists tried to quell domestic opposition by passing the Alien and Sedition Acts, a series of controversial laws that banned political dissent by limiting free speech.
—Daniel Tichenor, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2025
Social Security overpayments: Agency reinstates plan to recover 100% of overpaid funds
Trump administration continues to quell concerns over SS benefit disruption
Musk has received pushback for trying to access sensitive data at agencies like the SSA and others.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quell
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
But that didn't quell a web of alternative theories over the decades.
—arkansasonline.com, 20 Mar. 2025
Authorities placed a ban on public demonstrations for four days in an attempt to quell any growing backlash to the arrests.
—Chris Massaro, Fox News, 19 Mar. 2025
So in 1798, the Federalists tried to quell domestic opposition by passing the Alien and Sedition Acts, a series of controversial laws that banned political dissent by limiting free speech.
—Daniel Tichenor, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2025
Social Security overpayments: Agency reinstates plan to recover 100% of overpaid funds
Trump administration continues to quell concerns over SS benefit disruption
Musk has received pushback for trying to access sensitive data at agencies like the SSA and others.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quell
Cite this Entry
“Quell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quell. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share