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

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

His lead role as a gun-toting rebel in the 1972 crime drama The Harder They Come is a cornerstone of Jamaican cinema, and was attributed as the movie that brought reggae to America.

Read more on BBC

Even with the daily walks, my body rebelled from so much sitting.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The Central African Republic rebel movement MPC has signed a fresh peace agreement with the government, following similar deals involving two other armed groups this year, a minister told AFP.

Read more on Barron's

Ms. Erivo continues to be appealing as her underdog opposite, the vulnerable rebel.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Since August, military strikes targeting rebel fighters have claimed the lives of 15 abducted children, Colombian officials said Monday.

Read more on Barron's

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.