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There are two quash verbs in the English language, and although their meanings are similar, they have entirely different origins. Both essentially mean to get rid of something—you can quash a rumor, for example, or you can quash a judicial order. The legal term quash (meaning "to nullify") comes from the Anglo-French words casser or quasser, meaning "to annul," and is ultimately from Latin cassus, "to void." The other quash means "to suppress or extinguish summarily and completely." It derives from the Middle English word quashen, meaning "to smash," and is ultimately from a form of the Latin verb quatere, meaning "to shake."
Synonyms
Verb (1)
- clamp down (on)
- crack down (on)
- crush
- put down
- quell
- repress
- silence
- slap down
- snuff (out)
- squash
- squelch
- subdue
- suppress
Verb (2)
Examples of quash in a Sentence
Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 13 May 2024
Everyone quashed the latter, not wanting a for-profit fox in the non-profit hen house.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024
Some countries were indeed able to quash type 2 outbreaks with the monovalent vaccine.
—Byleslie Roberts, science.org, 7 May 2024
In an effort to quash the measure, Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative Democrats petitioned the Supreme Court last September to intervene.
—Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2024
As a reporter, Wickman set his byline as G. Fred Wickman, quashing the nicknames.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 4 May 2024
Outside City Hall on a recent evening, Nevada City’s Vice Mayor Gary Petersen said State Farm’s action did not quash the community’s motivation to reduce its fire risk.
—Stephen Hobbs, Sacramento Bee, 2 May 2024
Advocates raise questions about arrest tactics Tactics used by police to quash the demonstrations and make arrests raised concerns in some advocates.
—Asher Stockler, USA TODAY, 2 May 2024
Proposals for a stadium downtown were quashed, and Belvidere Park remained untouched.
—Sarah Biegelsen, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quash.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near quash
Cite this Entry
“Quash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quash. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quash
2 of 2 verbVerb
Middle English quashen "to smash," from early French quasser, casser (same meaning), from Latin quassare "to shake violently, shatter," from quatere "to shake"
Verb
Middle English quashen "to nullify," from early French casser, quasser "to annul," from Latin cassare (same meaning), from earlier Latin cassus "void"
Legal Definition
quash
transitive verbTransitive verb
Anglo-French quasser, from Middle French casser, quasser, from Late Latin cassare, from Latin cassus void
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