1
as in subduing
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shushing
to stop the noise or speech of
the principal held up her hand to quell the students so they could hear the urgent announcement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of quelling
And then there’s a man falling from a building, smoke bombs, and an army quelling protesters.
—
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2026
After Congress passed a law lifting restrictions on the army’s role in quelling civil unrest late Tuesday, Paz now has the constitutional authority to invoke this power.
—ABC News, 27 May 2026
Rather than quelling the controversy, Saada’s threat amplified it.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 27 May 2026
Government forces brought reinforcements into Suqaylabiyah, quelling the violence.
—Omar Albam, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
In December, the Mouse House pledged to invest $1 billion in OpenAI and entered a three-year licensing agreement for allowing over 200 Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars characters’ likenesses to be used in Sora, quelling some of the text-to-video app’s brushups with copyright law.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
Trump and Republicans last year aggressively ramped up policies favorable to fossil fuels after romping to an electoral victory in 2024 on a promise to lower the cost of living, including by quelling gas prices.
—Garrett Downs, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2026
Sales of the iPhone have also been instrumental in quelling Wall Street’s concerns about where the company stands in the AI race.
—Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026
Some of Altman’s and OpenAI’s social media push over the weekend seemed aimed at quelling concerns among the company’s own employees over the Pentagon contract.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2026
After Congress passed a law lifting restrictions on the army’s role in quelling civil unrest late Tuesday, Paz now has the constitutional authority to invoke this power.
—ABC News, 27 May 2026
Rather than quelling the controversy, Saada’s threat amplified it.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 27 May 2026
Government forces brought reinforcements into Suqaylabiyah, quelling the violence.
—Omar Albam, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
In December, the Mouse House pledged to invest $1 billion in OpenAI and entered a three-year licensing agreement for allowing over 200 Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars characters’ likenesses to be used in Sora, quelling some of the text-to-video app’s brushups with copyright law.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
Trump and Republicans last year aggressively ramped up policies favorable to fossil fuels after romping to an electoral victory in 2024 on a promise to lower the cost of living, including by quelling gas prices.
—Garrett Downs, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2026
Sales of the iPhone have also been instrumental in quelling Wall Street’s concerns about where the company stands in the AI race.
—Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026
Some of Altman’s and OpenAI’s social media push over the weekend seemed aimed at quelling concerns among the company’s own employees over the Pentagon contract.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quelling
Verb
-
Officers then shot her with a Taser, subduing her enough to take her into custody, police said.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
Trump thought the Secret Service did an excellent job subduing the gunman but the White House is reviewing security for major events for the country's 250th anniversary.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Levy sat on the floor, watching like a proud father and shushing whisperers.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Top sleep aid for kids This extremely popular sound machine uses an authentic human voice to calm babies to sleep with a calming, shushing sound.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Identifying and naming my jealousy has done far more for me than suppressing it ever did.—
Meehika Barua,
Time,
29 May 2026
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The platform then identifies what is suppressing that number and maps a concrete path to close it, whether through negotiation positioning, skill prioritization or career moves that maximize earning trajectory.—
Ascend Agency,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Search revenue grew 17% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2025, quieting concerns over AI’s cannibalizing Google’s core business, and the company crossed $400 billion in annual revenue for the first time.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
6 May 2026
-
The alarms go off, the two get locked in the entry hall, and as Emma panics, Charlie rushes over to kiss her, quieting her fear.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Murillo-Ortega dictatorship has been accused of repressing the Nicaraguan people — especially Catholic and LGBTQ citizens.—
Jake Shore,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
People fed up with rolling blackouts have staged sporadic protests in recent days, banging pots and shouting slogans against the government, rare demonstrations in a country known for repressing dissent.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, Avila-Siqueiros was silencing the Warner bats, allowing just four walks and an error in the first five innings.—
Kevin J. Farmer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
Self-silencing pain and allowing it to be silenced, however, had not served me well.—
Nami Mun,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Chasing Hokies reliever Madden Clement with no outs in the ninth, Mulivai Levu began the three-run rally at Jackie Robinson Stadium by crushing his 18th homer of the season to right.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
31 May 2026
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India’s capitalist economy is booming, and the ruling Hindu-nationalist government is crushing its above-ground leftist opponents at the ballot box.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Historians have written about how the widespread fear and conformity of these periods reshaped American society in enduring ways, including the destruction of progressive political movements and both delaying and muting the Civil Rights Movement itself.—
Bruce Schneier,
The Conversation,
27 May 2026
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There are additional buttons for pairing via Bluetooth and muting the microphone.—
Christian de Looper,
PC Magazine,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quelling. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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