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

"Students were rebelling, but with hope and celebration, not anger. The film was about people finding joy in being themselves and saying we don't want to conform," says Krishen in the same interview.

From BBC

A woman rebelling from a marriage or striking out from the role of motherhood or otherwise trying to find meaning.

From Los Angeles Times

Consumers had rebelled against the chain over rising costs of its food, with images of an $18 Big Mac combo meal sold in Connecticut going viral in 2023.

From The Wall Street Journal

It also accused Eritrea of "outright aggression" saying it was conducting joint manoeuvres with Ethiopian rebels in the north and supplying them with weapons.

From BBC

“Crash” eschewed Charli’s typical boundary-pushing electronic sound to aim for something notably more commercial, and, ever the rebel, Charli attempted to homogenize this marketable music with visual ideas that were more to her own taste.

From Salon

Related Words

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