1
as in to suppress
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
immediately squelched any signs of rebellion
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Recent Examples of squelch
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
Then, civic leaders and voters can openly debate the wisdom of squelching free speech and unfettered human inquiry.
—James Druckman, Mercury News, 17 Oct. 2025
Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 1 Jan. 2023
The major social-media and tech companies have already done their share to pervert civil discourse and shatter consensus and squelch reason, all to make a buck.
—Sam Lipsyte, Harper's Magazine, 12 Apr. 2022
See All Example Sentences for squelch
Verb
But Gustavsson made a pad save to squelch the scoring opportunity.
—Noun
Finally, an electronic squelch.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for squelch
Verb
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The lawsuit alleges that for more than a decade, beginning at least as early as January 2015, Pepsi and Walmart used their dominant positions in the beverage and grocery markets to suppress price competition.—
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The largest anti-government demonstrations to rock Iran in recent years intensified Friday night, fueling fears of growing fatalities as authorities battle to suppress the protests.—
Verb
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After once rising from her seat to scold a man recording the broadcast on his phone to shushing in-studio viewers during an interview with Zohran Mamdani, Whoopi Goldberg just wrote another chapter in her comical relationship with The View's studio audience.—
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That shush in the art dealership was loud.—
Noun
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Chock-full of laugh-out-loud quips and wisecracks, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski and Cheryl Hines also join in on the fun in the boisterous 2017 sequel to the 2016 original Bad Moms.—
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Boys in blue training kits gather in pockets of shade and trade wisecracks.—
Verb
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There are glimpses of a backstage farce, with Nora trying to use a quickie with her married stage-manager lover (longtime Trier regular Anders Danielsen Lie) to quell a panic attack on opening night, then threatening to bolt.—
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The move seemed to surprise Fallon, who naturally tried to quell her tears by shouting at her.—
Verb
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Do not let the voices of my courageous compatriots be silenced.—
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Dan Piper, a teacher who spoke at the vigil, told those gathered that the federal officials are hoping to silence dissent.—
Noun
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Thompson, meanwhile, savors every contemptuous glare and hateful retort Anna regularly supplies.—
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Strange to say, her mother’s retort comforts her.—
Verb
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Nazism’s total domination politically and socially found an aesthetic counterpart in the visual reduction of bodies to things, ecstatically subdued before the hypnotic power of a leader, force, or sublime beauty.—
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Barack Obama also availed himself of caution, reluctance and NATO partners to use air power to subdue chaos on the ground in Libya.—
Verb
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Later, for nearly 60 years, the lights were out and the gaiety muted in this once-vibrant community.—
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Dusty rose and muted blush neutrals are emerging as a modern alternative to jewel tones.—
Cite this Entry
“Squelch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squelch. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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