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
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
George Caulkin, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Humanitarian organizations estimate over 13 million people have been displaced by the fighting between the government’s military forces and the rebel RSF fighters, with famine and disease a by-product of the struggle for power.
—Rory Fleming, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
Rebecca Johns, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
Tapping into your inner rebel as of late, Sagittarius?
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
An essay in The Dartmouth Review argues that the toga parties (based very much on truth) represented students from Miller's generation rebelling against conformity.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Adjective
The rebel run is the biggest of them all.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Humanitarian organizations estimate over 13 million people have been displaced by the fighting between the government’s military forces and the rebel RSF fighters, with famine and disease a by-product of the struggle for power.
—Rory Fleming, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
The New York Times in 2015 reported that hundreds of Colombian mercenaries had been sent to Yemen to fight against the Houthi rebels, hired directly — and in secret — by the UAE.
—Rebecca Johns, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
Tapping into your inner rebel as of late, Sagittarius?
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
Qi is more interested in how Chuan’s motherhood is affected — and what happens when Hsiao-Lee is confident enough to rebel against her mom.
—Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
An essay in The Dartmouth Review argues that the toga parties (based very much on truth) represented students from Miller's generation rebelling against conformity.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Cite this Entry
“Rebel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rebel. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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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