Definition

1. Verb:

   • To suppress or crush completely: To put an end to something forcefully or decisively, often an idea, feeling, or rebellion.
   • To make a soft, sucking sound: To produce a wet, soft sound, typically by walking through mud or by compressing something wet.
   • To compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition: To crush or flatten something, often with a squishing sound.

2. Noun:

   • A crushing remark: A sharp, decisive, and often humiliating retort or criticism that silences someone.
   • A soft, sucking sound: The sound made when walking through mud or when something wet is compressed.
   • An electric circuit that cuts off a receiver when the signal becomes weaker than the noise: A technical term for a noise suppression circuit in electronics.

Usage Examples

• Verb:

  • The dictator moved to squelch the protest before it could spread.
  • Her boots squelched in the deep mud after the rain.
  • He accidentally squelched the tomato in his hand.

• Noun:

  • Her witty squelch left him speechless and embarrassed.
  • The only sound in the swamp was the squelch of our footsteps.
  • The radio's squelch control helps eliminate background static.

Advanced Usage

• "to squelch out": To extinguish or suppress something, often a sound or a feeling.

  • She tried to squelch out her feelings of jealousy.

• "to squelch down": To suppress or hold back, often an emotion or reaction.

  • He had to squelch down a laugh during the serious meeting.

Variants and Related Words

• Squelchy (adj): Describing something that makes a soft, wet, sucking sound or has that consistency.
  • The path was squelchy after the storm.

Synonyms

• Verb: Suppress, quash, quell, crush, silence, squash, stomp.
• Noun: Retort, put-down, riposte; squish, splash.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Squelch around: To walk around making squelching sounds.
  • The children loved to squelch around in the puddles.

Related Idioms

• To put the squelch on (something): To stop or suppress an activity or idea.
  • The new regulations put the squelch on their plans for expansion.

Noun

1. an electric circuit that cuts off a receiver when the signal becomes weaker than the noise
2. a crushing remark

Verb

1. to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition
   • crush an aluminum can
   • squeeze a lemon
2. walk through mud or mire
   • We had to splosh across the wet meadow
3. make a sucking sound
4. suppress or crush completely
   • squelch any sign of dissent
   • quench a rebellion