1. To put an end to some kind of disorder, to put down, to quiet; normally by the use of force: The police used fire hoses and tear gas to quell the rioters.

Quell, "suppress", and "subdue" all mean to put an end to a disturbance; such as, a riot or a revolt, by the use of persuasion or by force.

To quell an uprising, authorities may employ either persuasion or force, or both; and the word suggests taking measures to discourage the participants in order to keep the situation from getting out of control.

When used in a figurative sense, quell may merely mean to quiet or to reduce the intensity of or to calm, as certain feelings; for example, to quell fears.

2. To subdue, to calm, or to reduce something; such as fear or worry: Jimmy's mother quelled him with a strong look because he was making too much noise.

Karl quelled his wife's fears about the thunderstorm that was going on by holding her in his arms and calmly reassuring her that everything would be all right.

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To subdue, to calm, to suppress, or to stop doing something. (1)