repel

[ ri-pel ]

/ rɪˈpɛl /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: repel / repelled / repelling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), re·pelled, re·pel·ling.

to drive or force back (an assailant, invader, etc.).

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.

to cause distaste or aversion in: Their untidy appearance repelled us.

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), re·pelled, re·pel·ling.

to act with a force that drives or keeps away something.

to cause distaste or aversion.

OTHER WORDS FOR repel

1 repulse, parry, ward off.

3 withstand, oppose, rebuff.

7 decline, rebuff.

See synonyms for repel on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR repel

1 attract.

See antonyms for repel on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of repel

1350–1400; Middle English repellen<Latin repellere to drive back, equivalent to re-re- + pellere to drive, push; see repulse

OTHER WORDS FROM repel

re·pel·lence, re·pel·len·cy, nounre·pel·ler, nounre·pel·ling·ly, adverbre·pel·ling·ness, noun

non·re·pel·lence, nounnon·re·pel·len·cy, nounnon·re·pel·ler, nounself-re·pel·len·cy, nounun·re·pelled, adjective

Words nearby repel

repeater, repeating decimal, repeating firearm, repeat oneself, repechage, repel, repellent, repent, repentance, repentant, Repentigny

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use repel in a sentence

The cycle continued in the 1980s after the Soviet invasion and America’s support of militias to repel Moscow.
There’s No Way to Spin Kabul’s Fall|Erik Nelson|August 15, 2021|Ozy
On CNN, someone was questioning whether the police had used sufficient force to repel the rioters, asking why they hadn’t arrested more people on the scene.
What Mike Fanone Can't Forget|Molly Ball|August 5, 2021|Time
For her to field those lightning strikes of abuse and repel them with her own agency is a superhero display of its own.
The 2021 Olympics Are an Inspiring, Infuriating Shitshow|Kevin Fallon|July 30, 2021|The Daily Beast
This spectrally precise effect can be thought of as creating a force field that repels crowds around an embassy, base, port, or other high value location.
The US military wants force fields that could stop nuclear missiles|Rob Verger|July 29, 2021|Popular-Science

They couldn’t be 100% effective because they were just repelling them once they were there.
This Little Tool Has Killed All of the Mosquitos in My Yard|Daniel Modlin|May 21, 2021|The Daily Beast
The only exception is military action to repel an imminent attack.
Obama’s ISIS War Is Illegal|Sen. Rand Paul|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bieber now knows his perfect body is no longer the weaponry with which to repel his bad press.
Justin Bieber's Abs Cannot Save Him|Tim Teeman|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was easy to imagine that the landscape was actively trying to repel us.
An Author at Home in Lonely Landscapes|Letitia Trent|July 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On paper, the forces in Tikrit should have been more than adequate to repel even a force of this size.
The Paper Tiger of the Tigris: How ISIS Took Tikrit Without a Fight|Andrew Slater|June 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Scuffles broke out with riot police, who used pepper spray to repel party members wielding Greek flags on thick wooden sticks.
Golden Dawn Continues Its Message of Hate|Ilana Glazer|May 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A dignified, modest reserve is the surest way to repel impertinence.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
They were ready to adopt the most energetic measures to repel the interference of this armed confederacy.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott
Douglas was advancing to repel the assailants when he was informed of the force in rear, and instantly drew back his men.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison
The men of his company, roaring curses at the Frenchmen, prepare to receive and repel a thundering charge of French cuirassiers.
Little Travels and Roadside Sketches|William Makepeace Thackeray
An always wrathful God would repel His worshipers, or cast them into despair.
Superstition In All Ages (1732)|Jean Meslier

British Dictionary definitions for repel

repel

/ (rɪˈpɛl) /

verb -pels, -pelling or -pelled (mainly tr)

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)

to push aside; dismisshe repelled the suggestion as wrong and impossible

to be effective in keeping away, controlling, or resistingan aerosol spray that repels flies

to have no affinity for; fail to mix with or absorbwater and oil repel each other

to disdain to accept (something); turn away from or spurnshe repelled his advances

(also intr) to exert an opposing force on (something)an electric charge repels another charge of the same sign

Derived forms of repel

repeller, noun

Word Origin for repel

C15: from Latin repellere, from re- + pellere to push, drive

undefined repel

See repulse

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

repel

OTHER WORDS FOR repel

OPPOSITES FOR repel

Origin of repel

OTHER WORDS FROM repel

Words nearby repel

Words related to repel

How to use repel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for repel

Derived forms of repel

Word Origin for repel

undefined repel