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reb·el | \ ˈre-bəl 
\
\Definition of rebel
(Entry 1 of 3)
1a : opposing or taking arms against a government or ruler
b : of or relating to rebels the rebel camp
2 : disobedient, rebellious
rebel
nounrebel
verbre·bel | \ ri-ˈbel \
\rebelled; rebelling
Definition of rebel (Entry 3 of 3)
1a : to oppose or disobey one in authority or control
b : to renounce and resist by force the authority of one's government
2a : 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
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Synonyms & Antonyms for rebel
Synonyms: Adjective
- balky,
- contrary,
- contumacious,
- defiant,
- disobedient,
- froward,
- incompliant,
- insubordinate,
- intractable,
- obstreperous,
- rebellious,
- recalcitrant,
- recusant,
- refractory,
- restive,
- ungovernable,
- unruly,
- untoward,
- wayward,
- willful
- (or wilful)
Synonyms: Noun
Synonyms: Verb
Antonyms: Adjective
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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.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Both sides started to retreat from the frontlines in Petrivske at midday on Saturday, according to Ukraine military spokesman Andrei Andreev and the rebel news agency DAN.
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Fox News, "Ukrainian forces, Russian-backed separatists begin pullback in war-torn Donbass," 10 Nov. 2019 The Islamic State emerged as the most effective fighting force on the rebel side, capturing the eastern city of Raqqa and challenging other rebel groups for dominance across a swath of villages along the Euphrates River.
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Author: Joby Warrick, Anchorage Daily News, "Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Islamic State’s ‘terrorist-in-chief,’ dead at 48," 27 Oct. 2019 That Edgewater example is a good one, as both the factory's leader and the rebel boss a half-mile down the road have their own mix of noble ideals, cognitive dissonance, and off-kilter ickiness.
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Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "The Outer Worlds review: Fall deeply into the best Fallout-like game in years," 22 Oct. 2019 The transitional authorities have set a six-month deadline for making peace with the rebel groups.
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San Diego Union-Tribune, "Thousands protest in Sudan, call to disband ex-ruling party," 21 Oct. 2019 The Second Liberian Civil War — between two rebel groups and government forces organized by President Charles Taylor — broke out in 1999.
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Edward Lee, baltimoresun.com, "Towson RB Yeedee Thaenrat brings positive perspective after leaving war-torn Liberia: ‘I wish I had 20 of him’," 9 Oct. 2019 Other Spaniards have argued the transfer would open old wounds from the bloody 1936-39 war between supporters of the Republican government and rebel military Nationalists led by Franco.
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BostonGlobe.com, "MADRID — The Spanish Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the country’s caretaker government can exhume Francisco Franco’s remains from a gigantic mausoleum the military dictator had built outside Madrid, a decision that could settle a decades-old controversy.," 25 Sep. 2019 The Eberle brothers had dynamite for blowing up railroad bridges, and strychnine to poison the food and water that rebel wives would offer to investigating lawmen.
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Trevor Paulhus, Smithsonian, "When the Socialist Revolution Came to Oklahoma—and Was Crushed," 19 Sep. 2019 Women have been active participants in 60 percent of armed rebel groups over the past several decades.
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Jamille Bigio And Rachel Vogelstein, Twin Cities, "Bigio, Vogelstein: Understanding role of women is vital in fight against terrorism," 17 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Screenshot/Mastodon Social Screenshot/Mastodon Social The rebels now toot instead of tweeting, and tweet about tooting.
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Manavi Kapur, Quartz India, "This chart from Mastodon’s creator shows just how angry some Indian Twitter users are," 11 Nov. 2019 As Bob Ruppert writes in Journal of the American Revolution, the rebels loaded the statue’s mangled remains onto oxcarts bound for a foundry in Litchfield, Connecticut.
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Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "You Could Own an Amputated Arm From the George III Statue Toppled at Bowling Green," 1 Nov. 2019 Her highlight reel is multidimensional and varied, from her breakthrough role as a teen rebel in Thirteen to the Vampire Queen of Louisiana in True Blood.
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Anna Borges, SELF, "Evan Rachel Wood on Bisexuality, Rage, and Life After Trauma," 30 Oct. 2019 The rebels were not even humiliated, when justice would have countenanced hanging them.
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Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, "Not Enemies, But Friends," 27 Oct. 2019 Most Kashmiris support the rebels' demand that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country, while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control.
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NBC News, "As Indian PM Modi comes to the U.S., Kashmiri Americans fear for life back home," 22 Sep. 2019 The brothers stand out as the only white children among the Native Americans at the school, where Odie is the rebel while Albert tries to go by the rules.
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Oline Cogdill, sun-sentinel.com, "Book review: ‘This Tender Land’ a harrowing Depression-era coming-of-age tale," 16 Sep. 2019 One of the measures sought to end U.S. assistance for Saudi Arabia’s war against Houthi rebels in Yemen, citing the humanitarian disaster caused by the conflict.
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Josh Wingrove, Bloomberg.com, "Trump's Suggestion of Iran Strike Raises Bipartisan Alarm," 16 Sep. 2019 But the war is not over, Ms Al-Kateab laments: the regime continues to bomb Idlib, the last rebel stronghold.
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J.w., The Economist, "“For Sama” is a love letter to Aleppo and its people," 12 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb So if the earliest artists, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, rebelled against their teachers, here is now the art world catching up and disseminating this type of aesthetic influence through the making of art.
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Deborah Martin, ExpressNews.com, "‘Victorian Radicals’ say yes to sex, no to technology in San Antonio Museum of Art exhibit," 10 Oct. 2019 In those places, people who were in despotism’s firm grip rebelled and quickly learned how firm the grip was.
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George Will, Twin Cities, "George Will: Hong Kong stands athwart an increasingly nasty regime," 19 Sep. 2019 Your son is rebelling in a way that looks, and feels, like rejection.
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Ask Amy, al, "Ask Amy: All mom wants for her birthday is a phone call, and even that seems too hard for son," 28 Aug. 2019 Your son is rebelling in a way that looks, and feels, like rejection.
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Amy Dickinson, The Denver Post, "Ask Amy: Mom’s hurt when son ignores her," 28 Aug. 2019 Your son is rebelling in a way that looks, and feels, like rejection.
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Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, "Ask Amy: I told a lie, and now I could lose my job and my home," 28 Aug. 2019 Those in forgotten red states may eventually rebel at the federal hammer wielded by the more populous dark blue coastal regions.
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John Kass, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Something to cry about: The rise of the surveillance state after 9/11," 12 Sep. 2019 Inside Rome, the Spoleto faction loyal to Lambert rebelled and imprisoned Pope Formosus in the Castel Sant’Angelo.
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National Geographic, "In 897, the corpse of a pope was exhumed—to be put on trial.," 20 Aug. 2019 The Moors rebelled, culminating in a fierce 1568 battle.
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Longreads, "An Ocean Away From the Sanctuary of Manhattan, Signs of Peaceful Coexistence," 29 July 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rebel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for rebel
rebel
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of rebel
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a person who opposes or fights against a government
: a person who opposes a person or group in authority : a person who does not obey rules or accept normal standards of behavior, dress, etc.
rebel
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of rebel (Entry 2 of 2)
: to oppose or fight against a government
: to oppose a person or group in authority : to refuse to obey rules or accept normal standards of behavior, dress, etc.
See the full definition for rebel in the English Language Learners Dictionary
rebel
nounreb·el | \ ˈre-bəl \
\Kids Definition of rebel
(Entry 1 of 3)
1 : a person who opposes or fights against a government
2 : a person who does not obey authority or follow usual standards
rebel
verbre·bel | \ ri-ˈbel \
\rebelled; rebelling
Kids Definition of rebel (Entry 2 of 3)
1 : to be or fight against authority and especially the authority of a person's government
2 : to feel or show anger, strong dislike, or disapproval
“She wanted to make it a whole purple suit, but I rebelled.”— Louise Fitzhugh, Harriet the Spy
rebel
adjectivereb·el | \ ˈre-bəl \
\Kids Definition of rebel (Entry 3 of 3)
: opposing or fighting against a government or ruler
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Time Traveler for rebel
The first known use of rebel was in the 14th century
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