QUELLING Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

quelling

verb

present participle of quell

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

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of quelling As Matt Reeves is hard at work in Gotham City, James Gunn is quelling some overeager fans about the timeline of the Batman trilogy. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026 Aside from Spain’s progress in quelling the fires this week, there are still active fires in France to consider, since the particulate matter could continue drifting across large portions of its neighboring nation. — T. Michelle Murphy, Time, 29 July 2026 Other ubiquitous Chinese deities, such as the regal Jade Emperor, the faithful warrior Guan Yu, the wondrous savior Mazu, and the demon-quelling Zhong Kui, fill both the popular imagination and the stuff of Daoist ritual. — Michael Naparstek, The Conversation, 6 July 2026 The very system itself - schooling and parenting - now operates on quelling agency. — Mimosa Jones Tunney, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 The mosquitoes came out in droves at night, just before bed, quelling our ambitions of stargazing or watching for the northern lights. — John Bowe, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2026 Owens, who tried to reach third, was gunned down by left fielder Brendan Brock, quelling the early threat. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 7 June 2026 Also quelling demand is China’s pivot toward producing chemicals from raw materials like coal instead of oil, according to analysts. — Devika Krishna Kumar, Fortune, 6 June 2026 Centered on Zhong Kui, the iconic demon-quelling deity of Chinese folklore, the family-friendly adventure follows a young human girl named Chujiu who accidentally enters the underworld. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for quelling

Verb

The drones rip through the hallways scanning for a threat before disorienting a suspect using flashing lights and subduing them using pepper balls or by ramming into their body, the company says.

— Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
This means the market makers, often called dealers, are the ones that have to play catch-up, adding to volatility instead of subduing it.

— Oliver Renick, CNBC, 23 July 2026

Definition of subduing

Verb

Trae Young won Madison Square Garden’s undying enmity in the 2021 playoffs for the Atlanta Hawks, punctuating game-breaking shots by shushing the crowd or bowing to the fans and waving goodbye.

— Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
Wine country with kids in tow doesn’t have to mean a stressful afternoon of shushing and screen time.

— Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 June 2026

Definition of shushing

Verb

Many cope by masking or camouflaging — suppressing autistic traits in order to fit in.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
However, moderate levels enable the locus coeruleus to emphasize task-relevant information while suppressing background noise.

— Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of suppressing

Verb

Seattle comforts you with its natural beauty, quieting your mind and heightening your senses.

— Giovanna Caravetta, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2026
Five minutes later, Messi gave Miami the lead, curling his shot in tight space past three defenders, quieting the sellout crowd at Subaru Park.

— Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of quieting

Verb

When elites are strong, dictators need to accommodate them, often by repressing outsiders to shield insiders from potential challenges.

— José Kaire, The Conversation, 17 July 2026
Normally, this modifier gene suppresses the creation of a second kind of hemoglobin, typically made only during fetal development; repressing the gene prompts cells to start making the fetal form of hemoglobin again, which acts as a backup.

— Roxanne Khamsi, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026

Definition of repressing

Verb

Prosecutors caught the elder Spitze helping his son contact four minor victims to try silencing them with gifts or orders to destroy evidence.

— Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 20 Aug. 2026
Response to ‘silencing’ claims As part of the suit, the city filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and temporary injunction.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of silencing

Verb

Consider each target wounded by crushing knockdowns and then killed by piggy-backers, irrespective of the quality of the quarter.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026
The writer compared the collapse of civil society to a boulder rolling downhill, crushing things in its path.

— KANIS LEUNG, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of crushing

Verb

Among several solutions such as time limits and muting notifications during certain hours, the changes include giving teens the option to choose to view a non-algorithmic social media feed that isn’t personalized.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
During the third act, in a cunning effect, when anyone picks up a phone, the screen’s contents are displayed on a wall as the lights fade, muting the friends onstage.

— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 July 2026

Definition of muting

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quelled

quelling

quells

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“Quelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quelling. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of quelling

verb

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