repel

verb

re·​pel ri-ˈpel How to pronounce repel (audio)
repelled; repelling

transitive verb

1
a
: to drive back : repulse
b
: to fight against : resist
2
: turn away, reject
repelled the insinuation
3
a
: to drive away : discourage
foul words and frowns must not repel a loverWilliam Shakespeare
b
: to be incapable of adhering to, mixing with, taking up, or holding
c
: to force away or apart or tend to do so by mutual action at a distance
4
: to cause aversion in : disgust

intransitive verb

: to cause aversion
repeller noun

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When to Use Repel

Since re- can mean not just "again" but also "back", repel means "drive back". Repel has two common adjective forms; thus, a repellent or repulsive odor may drive us into the other room. Its main noun form is repulsion. Magnets exhibit both attraction and repulsion, and the goal of an armed defense is the repulsion of an enemy; but we generally use repulsion to mean "strong dislike". In recent years, repulse has been increasingly used as a synonym for repel ("That guy repulses me").

Examples of repel in a Sentence

a fabric that repels water Their superior forces repelled the invasion. Two positive electrical charges repel each other. Magnets can both repel and attract one another.
Recent Examples on the Web Scuffles broke out between police and protesters in the capital and in similar protests in Thessaloniki, the country's second-largest city, where riot police fired tear gas and stun grenades to repel demonstrators throwing paint, stones and Molotov cocktails. Derek Gatopoulos and Costas Kantouris, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024 Cybersecurity experts and intelligence chiefs acknowledge that the US government is under constant attack from professional hackers abroad, many of whom are aligned with, if not directly contracted by, the hostile nations that Biden’s new executive order aims to repel. Dell Cameron, WIRED, 28 Feb. 2024 Holding a parchment manuscript in her hands, she is simultaneously thrilled by the preservation of treasured words and repelled by the slaughter on which this miracle rests. Claudia Roth Pierpont, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 In repelling disinformation, Chinese and domestic, Taiwan offers an example to other democracies holding elections this year. David Klepper and Huizhong Wu, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Feb. 2024 Healthy people with strong immune systems may be able to repel such pathogens. Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2024 Last year, Zelensky opened the Munich Security Conference with an impassioned video address pleading for faster weapons to repel Russian forces. Maria Kostenko and Manveena Suri, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024 Dealing with the mental health impacts of the invasion will be absolutely vital to keep society resilient, functioning, and committed enough to repel the invaders. Peter Guest, WIRED, 16 Feb. 2024 The Kremlin leader regularly criticizes the US for its support of Ukraine’s campaign to repel Moscow’s invasion, among other issues. Bloomberg, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'repel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English repellen, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French repeller, borrowed from Latin repellere "to push away, drive back, fend off," from re- re- + pellere "to beat against, push, strike, rouse" — more at pulse entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of repel was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near repel

Cite this Entry

“Repel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repel. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

repel

verb
re·​pel ri-ˈpel How to pronounce repel (audio)
repelled; repelling
1
a
: to drive back
repel the enemy
b
: to fight against : resist
2
: to refuse to accept : reject
repel a suggestion
3
a
: to be incapable of sticking to, mixing with, taking up, or holding
a fabric that repels water
b
: to force away or apart or tend to do so by mutual action at a distance
two like electrical charges repel each other
4
: disgust
a sight that repelled everyone
repeller noun

More from Merriam-Webster on repel

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