repulse

[ri-puhls]

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verb (used with object), re·pulsed, re·puls·ing.

to drive back; repel: to repulse an assailant.

to repel with denial, discourtesy, or the like; refuse or reject.

to cause feelings of repulsion in: The scenes of violence in the film may repulse some viewers.

noun

the act of repelling.

the fact of being repelled, as in hostile encounter.

a refusal or rejection.

Origin of repulse

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin repulsus, past participle of repellere to repel

Related formsre·puls·er, nounun·re·pulsed, adjectiveun·re·puls·ing, adjective

Synonyms for repulse

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2. rebuff, spurn, shun, snub.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for repulse

resist, repel, overthrow, rebuff, sicken, disgust, turndown, reverse, refusal, failure, nix, disappointment, defeat, check, brush-off, rebut, reject, refuse, spurn, disdain

Examples from the Web for repulse

Historical Examples of repulse

She could feel its false precision, its intention, its repulse of her.
Life and Death of Harriett Frean
May Sinclair
So desperate was my case, I was resolved not to stop even at this repulse.
Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
Burnside's repulse at Fredericksburg was followed by a discouraging retreat.
The Nation in a Nutshell
George Makepeace Towle
Not all my kicks and cuffs and beatings had sufficed one whit to repulse him.
Ruggles of Red Gap
Harry Leon Wilson
It cost her an effort to repulse him, and the effort was not very convincing.
The Historical Nights Entertainment, Second Series
Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for repulse

repulse

verb (tr)

to drive back or ward off (an attacking force); repel; rebuff

to reject with coldness or discourtesyshe repulsed his advances

to produce a feeling of aversion or distaste

noun

the act or an instance of driving back or warding off; rebuff

a cold discourteous rejection or refusal

Derived Formsrepulser, noun

Word Origin for repulse

C16: from Latin repellere to drive back, repel

usage

Some people think that the use of repulse in sentences such as he was repulsed by what he saw is incorrect and that the correct word is repel

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

Word Origin and History for repulse

early 15c., from Latin repulsus, past participle of repellere "drive back, reject" (see repel). Related: Repulsed; repulsing.

1530s, from Latin repulsa "refusal, denial," noun use of fem. past participle of repellere (see repel).