Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to quell

to quell

35 7.7
To stop a strong feeling or a crowd causing trouble
  • verb
  • /kwɛl/
translation icon : reprimir
  • According to the Guardian, the swift change is seen as an attempt by Johnson to quell Conservative anger over his lockdown breaching parties at Downing St.
  • quell a rebellion
  • quell protests
  • quell unrest

And so I'm like, so how else can we quell your anxiety?

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • In 1787, four states sent their militia to quell Shays' Rebellion in Massachusetts.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The IDF was much better suited to this type of assignment than to quelling mass demonstrations.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Still, this experience did not quell her love for teaching, as she expressed in the following statement:

    Academic text (1998)

  • Do you want this baby?" He tried to quell the panic inside him.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • It has not really helped quell the pain at all.

    Meet Kevin

  • Once again, I started to use food to quell my anxieties and loneliness.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • And with no one to quell the whispers, they would rise to a roar.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • To be sure, whenever one uprising was quelled, another one sprang up elsewhere.

    Academic text (2017)

  • Recently, the GPRA dispatched 15,000 troops to quell violent outbreaks in the enclave.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The teacher spoke calmly to quell the students' anxiety before the test.

Synonyms

to halt
vsto quell
206 2.4

To stop moving or make something stop moving

is less physical and more about calming or stopping feelings and unrest
to suppress
vsto quell
176 4.8

To stop public protest by force or by people in power

is used more for stopping feelings, situations, or disturbances than formal action
to silence
vsto quell
169 3.5

To stop someone from speaking or making noise

is broader, covering stopping feelings and situations not only silencing speech
to put a stop to
vsto quell
62 3.0

To end something so it no longer happens

is similar but particularly suits stopping feelings, disturbances, or situations
to stifle
vsto quell
49 5.3

To hold back a feeling or reaction so it does not show

applies more widely to feelings and external disturbances beyond internal restraint
to subdue
vsto quell
37 5.5

To bring a person or thing under control, often by force

focuses less on physical control and more on calming feelings or disturbances
to repress
vsto quell
12 6.1

Stop a process or action from happening

is more about stopping feelings or unrest than systematic long term blocking
to squelch
vsto quell
11 7.8

Completely stop protests or criticism

can mean stopping feelings or unrest without the sense of total crushing
to quash
vsto quell
  • Formal
8 8.1

Forcefully stop something like a protest or rumor

is used more generally for stopping feelings, situations, or disturbances rather than legal action
to quench
vsto quell
7 6.1

To stop a feeling or action completely

suggests calming or stopping rather than fully extinguishing every trace
to tamp down
vsto quell
5 5.7

Reduce the strength of feelings or public anger

is stronger, implying full stopping or suppression rather than mere reduction

Antonyms

to encourage
∞ 2.3

Give someone support and confidence so they try or keep doing something

to foster
104 3.7

To encourage the growth or development of something

Phrasal Verbs

to quell the insurrection
  • Formal
9.1

Use force to stop a rebellion or uprising

How Suppressed

to crush
401 1.6
to quash
  • Formal
8 8.1
to subdue
37 5.5
to quell
35 7.7
to dampen
16 4.4
to calm
962 1.0

Surface Forms

quell infinitive
quelled past
quelled past participle
quelling present participle
quells third person singular

Etymology

Quell comes from an old English verb cwellan that meant 'to kill' or 'put down'. So today to quell something is to stop or quiet it, like stopping a crowd or calming strong feelings.