verb
quench
kwehnch
verb
1
To satisfy thirst, or more broadly, a strong desire.
"A cold glass of water quenched his thirst."
"Nothing could quench her curiosity about the old house."
2
To put out a fire or extinguish a flame.
"Firefighters worked for hours to quench the blaze."
"He quenched the candle with his fingers."
3
To rapidly cool hot metal by plunging it into water or oil.
"The blacksmith quenched the glowing blade in a barrel of water."
"Quenching the steel too quickly can make it brittle."
How to Use Quench
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo satisfy thirst or desire, or to put out fire or cool hot metal.
Common pairings
quench your thirst
quench a fire
quench steel
Word Forms
quenched past tense, quent past tense, quenches plural, quenches singular
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A cold glass of water _____ his thirst.
Etymology
From Old English cwencan, related to a Germanic root for extinguishing.