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Definition of "quench" []

  • To put out (a fire, for example); extinguish. (verb-transitive)
  • To suppress; squelch: The disapproval of my colleagues quenched my enthusiasm for the plan. (verb-transitive)
  • To put an end to; destroy. (verb-transitive)
  • To slake; satisfy: Mineral water quenched our thirst. (verb-transitive)
  • To cool (hot metal) by thrusting into water or other liquid. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "quench" in a sentence
  • "In addition, superconductivity was not particularly well understood at the time, especially the effects that would cause a magnet to dramatically and suddenly lose its superconducting powers, a phenomenon known as a "quench" that is invariably accompanied by a loud bang and a scurry to find the exit as the magnetic energy is suddenly dissipated."
  • "Coke comes out of the ovens at more than 1,000 degrees and goes to what's called a "quench tower" to be drenched with thousands of gallons of water."
  • "But through an innovative use of a laboratory tool called a quench-flow machine-a machine that allows for extreme precision in the stopping, or "quenching," of a reaction-the team was able to look at what was going on over intervals of just 10 milliseconds in both yeast and human proteins."