repel
Americanverb (used with object)
-
repels,
present (3rd person singular)
-
repelled,
past participle, past
-
repelling
present participle
-
to drive or force back (an assailant, invader, etc.).
- Antonyms:
- attract
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to thrust back or away.
-
to resist effectively (an attack, onslaught, etc.).
-
to keep off or out; fail to mix with.
Water and oil repel each other.
-
to resist the absorption or passage of (water or other liquid).
This coat repels rain.
-
to refuse to have to do with; resist involvement in.
to repel temptation.
-
to refuse to accept or admit; reject.
to repel a suggestion.
-
to discourage the advances of (a person).
He repelled me with his harshness.
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to cause distaste or aversion in.
Their untidy appearance repelled us.
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to push back or away by a force, as one body acting upon another (opposed to attract).
The north pole of one magnet will repel the north pole of another.
verb (used without object)
-
repels,
present (3rd person singular)
-
repelled,
past participle, past
-
repelling
present participle
-
to act with a force that drives or keeps away something.
-
to cause distaste or aversion.
verb
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to force or drive back (something or somebody, esp an attacker)
-
(also intr) to produce a feeling of aversion or distaste in (someone or something); be disgusting (to)
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to push aside; dismiss
he repelled the suggestion as wrong and impossible
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to be effective in keeping away, controlling, or resisting
an aerosol spray that repels flies
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to have no affinity for; fail to mix with or absorb
water and oil repel each other
-
to disdain to accept (something); turn away from or spurn
she repelled his advances
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(also intr) to exert an opposing force on (something)
an electric charge repels another charge of the same sign
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonrepellencenoun
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nonrepellencynoun
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nonrepellernoun
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repellencenoun
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repellencynoun
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repellernoun
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repellingnessnoun
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self-repellencynoun
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unrepelledadjective
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repellinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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repelsimple
-
repelssimple
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have repelledperfect
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has repelledperfect
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am repellingprogressive
-
are repellingprogressive
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is repellingprogressive
-
have been repellingperfect progressive
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has been repellingperfect progressive
Past
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repelledsimple
-
had repelledperfect
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was repellingprogressive
-
were repellingprogressive
-
had been repellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of repel
1350–1400; Middle English repellen < Latin repellere to drive back, equivalent to re- re- + pellere to drive, push; see repulse
Explanation
Use the verb repel when you want to turn something away. You might drench yourself in bug spray to repel the mosquitoes that plague you when you go camping. This versatile word can be used in relation to everything from bugs to unwanted romantic advances. The word repel can be used to describe the act of driving something away, as in the case of bugs or other pesky critters, including potential suitors. It can also be used to describe something that causes disgust or distaste. For example, the thought of eating snails might repel you.
Vocabulary lists containing repel
Electricity and Magnetism - Introductory
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Physics - Introductory
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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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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.
See Examples For:
Bulgaria is a major weapons supplier to Ukraine, as it continues to repel a full-scale Russian invasion launched in 2022.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Another widely used group of chemicals, known as PFAS, helps materials repel water and oil.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
Grief tethers Supergirl to Ruthye, even though they disagree on how to handle it, and it also seems to repel her from Corenswet’s dopey, innocent Clark Kent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
Cuban forces supported rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while troops helped Ethiopia repel a Somali invasion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
"Rather," as Timothy Ferris explains, "the negatively charged fields of the two balls repel each other...were it not for their electrical charges they could, like galaxies, pass right through each other unscathed."
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
The abrasive texture of shark skin repels barnacles and has inspired antimicrobial surface coatings for hospitals; the seeds of a flowering plant offer clues to the designers of probes destined for other worlds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
In one part of the conveyor system, a vibrating panel called an eddy current creates a sort of reverse magnet that repels nonferrous materials like aluminum beverage cans into their own collection area.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
This protein acts as a guidance signal that repels growing nerve fibers, preventing them from entering sensitive regions of the spine.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 23, 2026
As our magnetosphere repels the storm, it creates the aurora.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2024
“A shield that repels germs while it gently cleanses your pores, leaving a spanking-clean exterior.”
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
This tiny country repelled an attack by its giant neighbour and retained its independence.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
They were briefly repelled by a security guard, who along with two other victims in the parking lot, alerted people at the center and police to the attack, saving lives.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
The situation on the front lines has also improved, with Russian assaults largely repelled in most areas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
Cokayne's brave turnover, clamping down in the shadow of her own posts, repelled that attack.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
The Shadow Queen flew to pick up the bean but the magic repelled her.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
If elected, Wadagni is expected to be able to count on the loyalty of the army, which played a decisive role in repelling an attempted coup against Talon in December.
From Barron's ● Apr. 12, 2026
It’s almost perfect, in other words, for repelling crowds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
That could leave Saudi Arabia under a cloud of uncertainty, potentially for years to come, repelling foreign investors it has increasingly been counting on for its transformation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
The rod-shaped CSV nanocrystals improve how well the perovskite precursor spreads across the typically water repelling SAM surface, allowing for more uniform coverage.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 1, 2026
The scene which met mv eyes was at once compelling and repelling.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
