repel

[ ri-pel ]

/ rɪˈpɛl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR repel 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.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!

Question 1 of 10

Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

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Origin of repel

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

SYNONYMS FOR repel

1 repulse, parry, ward off.

3 withstand, oppose, rebuff.

7 decline, rebuff.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR repel ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR repel

1 attract.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR repel ON THESAURUS.COM

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

repeated, repeater, repeating decimal, repeating firearm, repechage, repel, repellent, repent, repentance, repentant, repentigny

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for repelled

Early airpower theorists were not only repelled by trench warfare.
Why the U.S. Army Is Stuck in the 19th Century|Bill Sweetman|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are many, many reasons to be repelled by Ronaldo that have nothing to do with his athletic performance.
Why It’s Still OK to Hate Sexy Bastard Cristiano Ronaldo After He Saved Team USA|Emily Shire|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hundreds of insurgents attacked and were only repelled by teams of Apache helicopters.
We Lost Soldiers in the Hunt for Bergdahl, a Guy Who Walked Off in the Dead of Night|Nathan Bradley Bethea|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
King Alfred of Wessex repelled the attacks and laid the foundations for a kingdom that would become known as England.
Scientists Find Remains of Alfred The Great Or King Edward The Elder|Nico Hines|January 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I was repelled from liberalism because I disliked sentimentality in politics.
David Mamet's Right Turn|David Frum|May 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I have already mentioned the peremptory tone in which he repelled Bancroft's Articuli Cleri.
Constitutional History of England, Vol 1 of 3|Henry Hallam
So easily without care or trouble may the brunts of malice be declined or repelled.
Sermons on Evil-Speaking|Isaac Barrow
But the idea of lying there on that narrow shelf, staring at the light from the grating, repelled her.
Jupiter Lights|Constance Fenimore Woolson
But it was not those twisting limbs that repelled the two old clerks watching him from the window—it was Jos's face.
With Wellington in Spain|F. S. Brereton
Certain tender recollections obtruded; but he repelled them—he would not allow one of them to mitigate his rage.
Tales And Novels, Volume 9 (of 10)|Maria Edgeworth

British Dictionary definitions for repelled

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

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

verb (used without object), re·pelled, re·pel·ling.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Origin of repel

SYNONYMS FOR repel

ANTONYMS FOR repel

OTHER WORDS FROM repel

Words nearby repel

Words related to repelled

Example sentences from the Web for repelled

British Dictionary definitions for repelled

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

Derived forms of repel

Word Origin for repel

undefined repel