rebellion
Americannoun
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open, organized, and armed resistance to one's government or ruler.
-
resistance to or defiance of any authority, control, or tradition.
- Synonyms:
- disobedience, insubordination
-
the act of rebelling.
noun
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organized resistance or opposition to a government or other authority
-
dissent from an accepted moral code or convention of behaviour, dress, etc
Usage
What does rebellion mean? A rebellion is an attempt to overthrow a government—an organized revolution. It can also refer to a revolt against another form of authority. More generally, rebellion can refer to an action or behavior that resists or defies rules or norms or otherwise challenges the status quo. The verb rebel means to engage in rebellion. As a noun, rebel can refer to a revolutionary or to a person who is defiant or disobedient. Such a defiant person can be called rebellious, and the noun rebelliousness refers to such behavior. Rebellion can also refer to this, as in I went through a phase of teenage rebellion. Example: The rebellion is being led by a coalition of factions that all have the same goal—to topple the regime.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rebellion
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English rebellioun, from Old French, from Latin rebelliōn-, stem of rebelliō; equivalent to rebel + -ion
Explanation
A rebellion is when you rise up and fight those in power, usually on a large scale. In "Star Wars," the good guys fighting the powerful, evil empire were known as the rebellion. If you know that a rebel is someone who fights authority, then you won’t be surprised that a rebellion is something similar. Rebellions can be wars, particularly wars for independence from the ruling government, but many rebellions never come to armed conflict. Most of the time they're wars of words, or even just small-scale rule-breaking that is supposed to make a larger point. Students might wear shorts to school, for example, as a rebellion against the dress code.
Vocabulary lists containing rebellion
Animal Farm
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May the 4th Be With You: Star Wars Words
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List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Plus, nicotine pouches are a buzzy item in Trump’s world, and the anti-AI rebellion is gaining momentum.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
By highlighting Eve’s rebellion alongside her beauty, ads framed her as a fashion heroine.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
“Maybe it’s arrested development. Or maybe youth and rebellion are just part of my personality. They’re never gonna go away.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
Spain's El Mundo says "the internal rebellion against Starmer is growing, but no alternative has been presented".
From BBC • May 12, 2026
My only course of rebellion is to leave her eyebrows unplucked for the day.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
