1
a
: opposing or taking arms against a government or ruler
b
: of or relating to rebels
the rebel camp
2
rebelled; rebelling
1
a
: to oppose or disobey one in authority or control
b
: to renounce and resist by force the authority of one's government
2
a
: to act in or show opposition or disobedience
rebelled against the conventions of polite society
b
: to feel or exhibit anger or revulsion
rebelled at the injustice of life
Synonyms
Examples of rebel in a Sentence
Adjective
today's rebel chefs feel free to ignore the dictates of classic French cuisine
Noun
The government captured six armed rebels.
He was a rebel against the school administration.
He is a typical teenage rebel.
Verb
When the government imposed more taxes, the people rebelled.
The protesters are rebelling against the new tax law.
Children often rebel against their parents.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Myanmar’s military-run government is battling insurgencies on several fronts and has suffered a series of defeats in frontier areas since last October, when rebel groups launched a coordinated offensive near the Chinese border.
—Reuters, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Along with two other journalists, Joel (Wagner Moura) and Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), the quartet make the dangerous trek to the nation’s capital in order to photograph and interview the dictatorial president (Nick Offerman) before rebel forces have their way with him.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Amid the delays in forming a new government and a deadly surge in violence, a former rebel leader is ratcheting up calls for a national uprising that would put him in charge of the country.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
In recent months, China has begun strong-arming both the Myanmar government and rebel groups that abet the gangs into cracking down on scam centers.
—TIME, 21 Mar. 2024
The soldiers’ accounts of mass surrenders echo the claims of rebel groups, which say thousands of troops,including entire battalions, have surrendered or defected since the rebel offensive began in October.
—Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024
The Congolese army is fighting M23, a rebel group that's been operating in the region for more than a decade.
—Matt Ozug, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
Russia is playing an increasingly active role in the Sahel to support various rebel groups.
—Saleem H. Ali, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 21 Apr. 2024
Since Tesla seized the world’s imagination, EVs have been cast as lead rebels in the transportation revolution.
—IEEE Spectrum, 14 Apr. 2024
The country’s largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as the FARC, significantly diminished in size and power under his presidency.
—Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
The fact that one of his cousins lost his life fighting for the rebels during the uprising doesn’t blind him to the danger posed by the thousands of men who’d procured guns and taken over public buildings and roads in the absence of a state army and police force.
—Hazlitt, 3 Apr. 2024
Elena’s right-hand woman was shot by rebels during the palace raid at the end of Episode 5.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
Mary, Queen of Scots, has been imprisoned by rebels and forced to leave her son, the future King James, with her enemies.
—The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Houthi rebel attacks on tankers in the Red Sea have delayed crude shipments.
—Lucia Kassai, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2024
Myanmar is locked in a civil war between the military on one side and, on the other, a loose alliance of ethnic minority rebels and an armed movement which emerged in response to the junta’s bloody crackdown on anti-coup protests.
—Reuters, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024
But some insiders maintain that no one in the news division raised any objection to the deal before it was announced — not even MSNBC chief Rashida Jones, who subsequently reassured the rebelling hosts that McDaniel would not appear on the network’s air.
—Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
The phenomenon has its roots in the early 2000s, when many millennials rebelled against the mcmansion-leaning norms of late 20th century culture.
—Alena Botros, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2024
The selection was created in 1968 amid a political upheaval led by filmmakers of the French New Wave who rebelled against the Cannes Film Festival.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024
The court consumed the wealth of France, starving its populace (who, of course, eventually rebelled) and, along the way, smothering its queen, who, in her way, also rebelled, albeit behind the walls of power.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024
Its success leads her to rebel, firstly through passionate love affairs with women and then by reclaiming her authorship.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2024
Aleksei’s time in the barracks and in training get intercut with the story of a Nigerian brother (Morr Ndiaye) and sister (Laetitia Ky) ]rebelling against what’s happening on the Niger Delta, a land relentlessly stripped of its resources and minerals by various countries.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024
The Slits were naked except for loincloths and covered in mud, not Noxzema, but there was still the idea that both bands wanted to rebel against stereotypical, hypersexualized notions of what women should look like on an album cover.
—Longreads, 16 Jan. 2024
Adjective
Starting last October, an alliance of rebel forces took several key towns from the military in northern Shan State.
—Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Myanmar’s military-run government is battling insurgencies on several fronts and has suffered a series of defeats in frontier areas since last October, when rebel groups launched a coordinated offensive near the Chinese border.
—Reuters, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Along with two other journalists, Joel (Wagner Moura) and Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), the quartet make the dangerous trek to the nation’s capital in order to photograph and interview the dictatorial president (Nick Offerman) before rebel forces have their way with him.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Amid the delays in forming a new government and a deadly surge in violence, a former rebel leader is ratcheting up calls for a national uprising that would put him in charge of the country.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
In recent months, China has begun strong-arming both the Myanmar government and rebel groups that abet the gangs into cracking down on scam centers.
—TIME, 21 Mar. 2024
The soldiers’ accounts of mass surrenders echo the claims of rebel groups, which say thousands of troops,including entire battalions, have surrendered or defected since the rebel offensive began in October.
—Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024
The Congolese army is fighting M23, a rebel group that's been operating in the region for more than a decade.
—Matt Ozug, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
Russia is playing an increasingly active role in the Sahel to support various rebel groups.
—Saleem H. Ali, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Noun
Despite her mother’s rules, Ali rebels against them, staying out late, getting to know Knuck intimately and fighting Jersey at every turn.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 21 Apr. 2024
Since Tesla seized the world’s imagination, EVs have been cast as lead rebels in the transportation revolution.
—IEEE Spectrum, 14 Apr. 2024
The country’s largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as the FARC, significantly diminished in size and power under his presidency.
—Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
The fact that one of his cousins lost his life fighting for the rebels during the uprising doesn’t blind him to the danger posed by the thousands of men who’d procured guns and taken over public buildings and roads in the absence of a state army and police force.
—Hazlitt, 3 Apr. 2024
Elena’s right-hand woman was shot by rebels during the palace raid at the end of Episode 5.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
Mary, Queen of Scots, has been imprisoned by rebels and forced to leave her son, the future King James, with her enemies.
—The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Houthi rebel attacks on tankers in the Red Sea have delayed crude shipments.
—Lucia Kassai, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2024
Myanmar is locked in a civil war between the military on one side and, on the other, a loose alliance of ethnic minority rebels and an armed movement which emerged in response to the junta’s bloody crackdown on anti-coup protests.
—Reuters, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Verb
The amendment, which dates to the end of the Civil War, was designed to prohibit people who had previously served in government, but rebelled against it, from holding office again, explained University of California, Los Angeles, Law Professor Rick Hasen.
—USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024
But some insiders maintain that no one in the news division raised any objection to the deal before it was announced — not even MSNBC chief Rashida Jones, who subsequently reassured the rebelling hosts that McDaniel would not appear on the network’s air.
—Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
The phenomenon has its roots in the early 2000s, when many millennials rebelled against the mcmansion-leaning norms of late 20th century culture.
—Alena Botros, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2024
The selection was created in 1968 amid a political upheaval led by filmmakers of the French New Wave who rebelled against the Cannes Film Festival.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024
The court consumed the wealth of France, starving its populace (who, of course, eventually rebelled) and, along the way, smothering its queen, who, in her way, also rebelled, albeit behind the walls of power.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024
Its success leads her to rebel, firstly through passionate love affairs with women and then by reclaiming her authorship.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2024
Aleksei’s time in the barracks and in training get intercut with the story of a Nigerian brother (Morr Ndiaye) and sister (Laetitia Ky) ]rebelling against what’s happening on the Niger Delta, a land relentlessly stripped of its resources and minerals by various countries.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024
The Slits were naked except for loincloths and covered in mud, not Noxzema, but there was still the idea that both bands wanted to rebel against stereotypical, hypersexualized notions of what women should look like on an album cover.
—Longreads, 16 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rebel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rebel
Cite this Entry
“Rebel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rebel. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rebel
1 of 3 adjective
reb·el
ˈreb-əl 
1
: being or fighting against one's government or ruler
2
: not obeying
rebel
2 of 3 noun
: a person who refuses to give in to authority
rebel
3 of 3 verb
re·bel
ri-ˈbel
rebelled; rebelling
1
: to be against or fight against authority and especially the authority of one's government
2
: to feel or show anger or strong dislike
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