quench

[ kwench ]

verb (used with object)

1. to slake, satisfy, or allay (thirst, desires, passion, etc.).
2. to put out or extinguish (fire, flames, etc.).
3. to cool suddenly by plunging into a liquid, as in tempering steel by immersion in water.
4. to subdue or destroy; overcome; quell:

   to quench an uprising.

5. Electronics. to terminate (the flow of electrons in a vacuum tube) by application of a voltage.

quench

/ kwɛntʃ /

verb

1. to satisfy (one's thirst, desires, etc); slake
2. to put out (a fire, flame, etc); extinguish
3. to put down or quell; suppress

   to quench a rebellion

4. to cool (hot metal) by plunging it into cold water
5. physics to reduce the degree of (luminescence or phosphorescence) in (excited molecules or a material) by adding a suitable substance
6. electronics
   1. to suppress (sparking) when the current is cut off in an inductive circuit
   2. to suppress (an oscillation or discharge) in a component or device

Derived Forms

• ˈquencher, noun
• ˈquenchless, adjective
• ˈquenchable, adjective

Other Words From

• quencha·ble adjective
• quencha·ble·ness noun
• quencher noun
• un·quencha·ble adjective
• un·quenched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of quench¹

1150–1200; Middle English quenchen, earlier cwenken; compare Old English -cwencan in ācwencan to quench ( a- ³ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of quench¹

Old English ācwencan to extinguish; related to Old Frisian quinka to vanish

Example Sentences

"I was successful in stopping the bill tonight, when a 2/3 vote was required, but undoubtably it will be back because Trump’s thirst for unlimited power can never be quenched," he wrote on X.

From Salon

The danger that Mr Diriye faces is a recurring reality that many smugglers endure while illicitly ferrying alcohol from Ethiopia to Mogadishu, in order to quench the growing demand.

From BBC

She and her team are instead working on a new process called “shock quenching”.

From BBC

Which we also read – how else were we expected to quench our thirst for all those years?

From Salon

However, the attacks quickly quenched out before any scar tissue could form.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• allay
• alleviate
• appease
• assuage
• sate
• satiate
• slake