Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Quash for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Quash" — verb, pronounced /kwɒʃ/, with the stress on "quash".
Narrator: To quash is to reject, suppress or overturn, especially a legal decision or a rebellion.
Narrator: In plain English, to quash is to crush something — like a court quashing a conviction or a government quashing a revolt.
Narrator: It comes from the Old French quasser, meaning to annul or crush, from the Latin cassare, meaning to nullify or set aside.
Narrator: "To quash a conviction" describes a court overturning a guilty verdict so it no longer stands.
Narrator: It differs from squash because quash is a legal or formal term for overturning, whereas squash means to physically crush flat.
Narrator: "To quash a rebellion" is a sense meaning to put down an uprising by force.
Narrator: Law, politics, military and governance all rely on the word quash.
Narrator: So remember: to quash is to overturn or suppress, from the Old French for to annul.
Speaker A: Is quash the same as squash?
Speaker B: Related but more formal! QUASH comes from the Old French quasser, meaning to annul, so it's about rejecting or overturning, especially in law, not just crushing flat.
Speaker A: So a court can quash a verdict?
Speaker B: Exactly — that's its main legal use!
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "The court quashed the conviction"; "police quashed the riot"; "she quashed the rumour" — a verdict, a revolt and a story.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Don't use quash for physically crushing something soft, because quash is for overturning or suppressing, while squash is for flattening.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: "Overturn" the legal cousin, "suppress" the forceful twin, "annul" the formal alternative. The word keeps its decisive charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "quash" in AI prompts — useful for legal-research tools and news-summary generators.
Speaker A: So a prompt could frame a verdict?
Speaker B: Right. For a legal app, you'd write:
Prompt: Write a short news summary stating that an appeal court has quashed a conviction, naming one ground of appeal.
Speaker A: How about a news tool?
Speaker B: Ask the model to frame a report:
Prompt: Draft a paragraph stating that police quashed a protest, naming one tactic used and one casualty figure.
Speaker A: Could it help with a compliance bot?
Speaker B: Yes, you can frame a ruling:
Prompt: Summarise in two sentences why a regulator quashed a merger deal, naming one competition concern.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: For a management chatbot, try this:
Prompt: Write a short note on how a manager quashed a rumour by sharing the facts, naming one communication channel used.
Quash — meaning in Arabic & definition More Q courses GL Dictionary