rebel

[reb-uhl, ri-bel]

noun

1. a person who refuses allegiance to, resists, or rises in arms against the government or ruler of their country.

   Synonyms: insurgent, traitor, mutineer, insurrectionist

2. a person who resists any authority, control, or tradition.

adjective

1. rebellious; defiant.

   Synonyms: mutinous, insurgent

2. of or relating to rebels.

verb (used without object)

rebel, rebelled, rebelling. 

1. to reject, resist, or rise in arms against one's government or ruler.

   Synonyms: mutiny, revolt

2. to resist or rise against some authority, control, or tradition.

3. to show or feel utter repugnance.

   His very soul rebelled at spanking the child.

rebel

verb

1. to resist or rise up against a government or other authority, esp by force of arms

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

3. to show repugnance (towards)

noun

1. 1. a person who rebels

   2. ( as modifier )

      a rebel soldier

      a rebel leader

2. a person who dissents from some accepted moral code or convention of behaviour, dress, etc

Other Word Forms

• rebeldom noun
• rebellike adjective
• nonrebel noun
• prorebel adjective
• semirebel noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of rebel¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English adjective rebel(e), from Old French rebelle, from Latin rebellis “renewing a war,” equivalent to re- re- + bell(um) “war” + -is adjective suffix; Middle English verb rebelle(n), from Old French rebeller and Latin rebellāre; noun derivative of the adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rebel¹

C13: from Old French rebelle , from Latin rebellis insurgent, from _re- + bellum war

Example Sentences

It’s possible that, outside of sports, Pre was a rebel without a cause.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

However, they are no replacement for conventional aircraft, especially in large rebel strongholds which are equipped with advanced air defence systems, according to news site The Irrawaddy.

Read more on BBC

Controllers are stressed out and rebelling during the shutdown because if it drags out they might not get paid, he said, adding that he is grateful for controllers who continue to serve.

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Tuareg rebels, who sometimes fight alongside Islamist militants, destroyed half of the 40 armored vehicles in the convoy and killed dozens of fighters, according to European officials.

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The conviction relates to a Darfur investigation that the court opened years ago when fighting arose between rebels in the breakaway region of Sudan and armed forces allied with the Sudanese government.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• defy 
• overthrow 
• renounce 
• resist 
• revolt 
• secede 
• take up arms 

When To Use

What does rebel mean?

A rebel is a person who resists or defies rules or norms or rises up against the powers that be.In its more serious sense, a rebel is a revolutionary trying to overthrow a government. More generally, it means someone who breaks the rules, resists authority, or otherwise challenges the status quo by doing things in a nontraditional way, such as in fashion and other arts. As a noun, rebel is pronounced "REB-uhl."Rebel is also a verb meaning to resist or rise up against authority or tradition. As a verb, rebel is pronounced "ri-BELL."Example: Danielle refused to wear her uniform to school, fighting with the principle and urging the other girls to rebel against the policy as she did.