rebel

American  

[reb-uhl, ri-bel] / ˈrɛb əl, rɪˈbɛl /

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.

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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 British  

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)

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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

Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of rebel

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

Example Sentences

The U.K. government has advised against nearly all travel to the Central African Republic, and Brown said he was warned about rebel fighters, bandits, poachers, Russian mercenaries, dengue fever and the Ebola virus.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a statement on Sunday, Sudan's foreign ministry said: "The Sudanese government condemns in the strongest terms the Ugandan government's reception... of rebel leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the terrorist militia."

From BBC

Neatly groomed and driven by anger about the treatment of his Nasa minority, Gomez is hunting for votes in a rebel‑controlled region of Colombia's lawless southwest.

From Barron's

Thaci also replied to allegations that he had returned to Kosovo to lead the rebel movement primarily to seize control of the country.

From Barron's

Syria’s government said that it would use its intelligence networks to keep a close eye on suspected jihadists, as Sharaa’s rebel group did in the area it controlled before the fall of the Assad regime.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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