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

As the civil war between Sudan's army and RSF rebels approaches its third year, the scale of suffering has seen it described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis by the UN and aid agencies.

From BBC

Touadéra campaigned on his security record in the chronically unstable nation after rebels seized power in 2013, a crisis that led the government to enlist support from Russian mercenaries and Rwandan soldiers.

From BBC

Artists, musicians, writers, film makers and performers of all kinds are rebelling, one of the most profound forms of resistance to a repressive regime.

From Salon

He added that he used to meet with imam Abdu Kharouf, who is reported in the document to be a facilitator for a local rebel leader.

From The Wall Street Journal

The rebels were pushed back thanks to the intervention of the Rwandan army and Russian mercenaries from the Wagner paramilitary group.

From Barron's

Related Words

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