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
Caroline Rose, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
Iran and later Russia dispatched troops to save him, while Turkey and Gulf states backed rebel militias.
—Robin Yassin-Kassab, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Sep. 2025
Directed by the iconic Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another stars DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson, a vigilante and former rebel who is on the run from Penn's Officer Steven Lockjaw.
—Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
Preaching the gospel of revolution, activists mobilized peasants and workers (and to a lesser degree, women) to rebel against inequality and exploitation.
—Kornel Chang
september 19, Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rebel
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Nine months after the longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad was toppled by a rebel offensive, Syria faces a litany of new challenges.
—Caroline Rose, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
Iran and later Russia dispatched troops to save him, while Turkey and Gulf states backed rebel militias.
—Robin Yassin-Kassab, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
The rebels, led by Deepak Rauniyar and Binod Paudel, fired off a scathing letter to the Academy demanding a full investigation and threatening to blow up Nepal’s Oscar dreams entirely.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Sep. 2025
Directed by the iconic Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another stars DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson, a vigilante and former rebel who is on the run from Penn's Officer Steven Lockjaw.
—Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
As if a 22-year-old with a trans girlfriend never rebelled against their family.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
Preaching the gospel of revolution, activists mobilized peasants and workers (and to a lesser degree, women) to rebel against inequality and exploitation.
—Kornel Chang
september 19, Literary Hub, 19 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 29 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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