rebellion

American  

[ri-bel-yuhn] / rɪˈbɛl yən /

noun

1. open, organized, and armed resistance to one's government or ruler.

   Synonyms:

   sedition, mutiny

2. resistance to or defiance of any authority, control, or tradition.

   Synonyms:

   disobedience, insubordination

3. the act of rebelling.

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rebellion British  

/ rɪˈbɛljən /

noun

1. organized resistance or opposition to a government or other authority

2. dissent from an accepted moral code or convention of behaviour, dress, etc

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Usage

What does rebellion mean? A rebellion is an attempt to overthrow a government—an organized revolution. It can also refer to a revolt against another form of authority. More generally, rebellion can refer to an action or behavior that resists or defies rules or norms or otherwise challenges the status quo. The verb rebel means to engage in rebellion. As a noun, rebel can refer to a revolutionary or to a person who is defiant or disobedient. Such a defiant person can be called rebellious, and the noun rebelliousness refers to such behavior. Rebellion can also refer to this, as in I went through a phase of teenage rebellion. Example: The rebellion is being led by a coalition of factions that all have the same goal—to topple the regime.

Other Word Forms

• nonrebellion
  noun
• prerebellion
  adjective
• semirebellion
  noun
• subrebellion
  noun

Etymology

Origin of rebellion

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English rebellioun, from Old French, from Latin rebelliōn-, stem of rebelliō; equivalent to rebel + -ion

Explanation

A rebellion is when you rise up and fight those in power, usually on a large scale. In "Star Wars," the good guys fighting the powerful, evil empire were known as the rebellion. If you know that a rebel is someone who fights authority, then you won’t be surprised that a rebellion is something similar. Rebellions can be wars, particularly wars for independence from the ruling government, but many rebellions never come to armed conflict. Most of the time they're wars of words, or even just small-scale rule-breaking that is supposed to make a larger point. Students might wear shorts to school, for example, as a rebellion against the dress code.

Example Sentences

Those curious about the backstory of Zeb Orrelios, who first appeared in live-action among other former Rebellion fighters at the Adelphi base in “The Mandalorian” Season 3 Episode 5, should check out “Star Wars Rebels.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

It has increasingly featured in recent prosecutions of protest groups, such as Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil, where defendants have argued their actions were morally justified irrespective of the law.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

Resistance has taken many forms, from the Whiskey Rebellion of the 1790s to Thoreau’s refusal to pay taxes on moral grounds to the 1,400 elected officials who have signed Grover Norquist’s antitax pledge.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

This matters because if the book was too technical or relied on assumptions that the reader already had extensive knowledge of jazz, New York City, or the 1967 Detroit Rebellion, they would likely stop reading.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026

That is my message to you, comrades: Rebellion!

From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell

Related Words

• dissent
• insurgency
• insurrection
• revolution
• uprising