quell
To calm or put an end to something, such as fear or a fight.
quell in a sentence
- The teacher raised her hand to quell the noise in the classroom.
- Mr Evans clapped his hands to quell the squabble over the last chocolate pudding.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to quell?
- Acalm
- Bstir
- Cincite
- Dprovoke
Show the answer
A: calm. The other three mean the opposite of quell.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to quell?
- Acalm
- Bquash
- Cprovoke
- Dsuppress
Show the answer
C: provoke. The other three mean nearly the same as quell.
Words that mean something similar
calm, suppress, quash
Words that mean the opposite
provoke, stir, incite
More words about behaviour & manners
- rash: Acting too quickly without thinking about what might happen.
- rebellious: Refusing to obey rules or people in charge.
- reckless: Doing dangerous things without caring what might happen.
- relent: To give in and become less strict after refusing something.
- resign: To give up a job or position by your own choice.
- rowdy: Noisy and behaving in a rough, wild way.
- sabotage: To damage or spoil something on purpose so it does not work.
- sacrifice: To give up something you value, to help someone or to gain something more important.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test