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Glite Dictionary
to quell the insurrection

to quell the insurrection

9.1
Use force to stop a rebellion or uprising
  • phrasal verb
  • /kwɛl ði ˌɪnsəˈrɛkʃən/
  • Formal
translation icon : suplicar la insurrección
  • He was praised for his efforts to quell the insurrection before it grew out of control.

Examples

  • The government sent troops to quell the insurrection in the northern provinces.

  • Leaders feared that swift action was necessary to quell the insurrection and restore order.

  • The army was deployed to quell the insurrection.

  • Can the government quell the insurrection effectively?

  • The military was deployed to quell the insurrection that threatened the stability of the region.

  • The government took swift action to quell the insurrection after protests turned violent.

  • Law enforcement attempted to quell the insurrection by enforcing curfews and deploying additional officers.

Synonyms

to suppress
vsto quell the insurrection
176 4.8

To stop public protest by force or by people in power

is used specifically for ending rebellions or uprisings
to subdue
vsto quell the insurrection
37 5.5

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

aims to end a full rebellion rather than only regain control
to quell
vsto quell the insurrection
35 7.7

To stop a strong feeling or a crowd causing trouble

specifically targets ending rebellions using force rather than calming
to repress
vsto quell the insurrection
19 6.7

Use force to stop protests or opposition

emphasizes ending open rebellion specifically rather than calming unrest
to squelch
vsto quell the insurrection
11 7.8

Completely stop protests or criticism

is aimed at stopping organized violent uprisings rather than ideas
to quash
vsto quell the insurrection
  • Formal
8 8.1

Forcefully stop something like a protest or rumor

is used for stopping violent uprisings rather than general legal cases

Antonyms

to ignite
66 4.0

To make something start burning

to instigate
36 6.9

To cause something bad to start

Surface Forms

quell the insurrection infinitive

Morphology

quell + the + insurrection

The meaning is directly compositional: 'quell' means to suppress and 'insurrection' means a violent uprising, so a learner who knows both words (and the article 'the') can infer 'to suppress an insurrection'. This verb + noun construction is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common pattern and requires no idiomatic knowledge, so it is immediately understandable at B1 if the constituents are known.

Etymology

Quell the insurrection shows a simple picture: to quell is to put out something dangerous like a fire or a violent crowd, and an insurrection is a group rising against the government. So it means 'to stop a rebellion, often by force'.