quench
Americanverb (used with object)
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to slake, satisfy, or allay (thirst, desires, passion, etc.).
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to put out or extinguish (fire, flames, etc.).
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to cool suddenly by plunging into a liquid, as in tempering steel by immersion in water.
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to subdue or destroy; overcome; quell.
to quench an uprising.
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Electronics. to terminate (the flow of electrons in a vacuum tube) by application of a voltage.
verb
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to satisfy (one's thirst, desires, etc); slake
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to put out (a fire, flame, etc); extinguish
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to put down or quell; suppress
to quench a rebellion
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to cool (hot metal) by plunging it into cold water
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physics to reduce the degree of (luminescence or phosphorescence) in (excited molecules or a material) by adding a suitable substance
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electronics
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to suppress (sparking) when the current is cut off in an inductive circuit
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to suppress (an oscillation or discharge) in a component or device
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Other Word Forms
- quenchable adjective
- quenchableness noun
- quencher noun
- quenchless adjective
- unquenchable adjective
- unquenched adjective
Etymology
Origin of quench
1150–1200; Middle English quenchen, earlier cwenken; compare Old English -cwencan in ācwencan to quench ( a- 3 )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The new study analyzed light given off by phytoplankton for signs of a physiological process called nonphotochemical quenching—in which phytoplankton deal with an overload of sunlight by releasing heat.
From Science Magazine
I’m getting the sweet potato hash and a pomegranate juice to quench us after that long ride and the beer.
From Washington Post
A simpler differentiation would be to call the Broc a vin de soif, or a wine for quenching thirst, while the other two are more gastronomic, intended to go with meals.
From New York Times
“They are still looking for prey. They are not even hiding. They are there watching me and listening to us, hoping to scare me. Their thirst for blood has not been quenched yet.”
From Seattle Times
More than 1,200 personnel are working to quench the flames, she said, including ground crews, helicopters and air tankers.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
