repel

play

verb re·pel \ri-ˈpel\

Definition of repel

repelled

;

repelling

transitive verb
1a : to drive back : repulseb : to fight against : resist
2 : turn away, reject repelled the insinuation
3a : to drive away : discourage foul words and frowns must not repel a lover — William Shakespeareb : to be incapable of adhering to, mixing with, taking up, or holdingc : 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

See repel defined for English-language learners

See repel defined for kids

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 of repel from the Web

Clothes treated with Permethrin also help repel ticks, said Enot.

— dennis hohenberger, Courant Community, "Ticks, Lyme Disease The Focus Of Event", 29 June 2017
Dry root balls repel moisture and the irrigation water runs around the outer edge to never wet the soil inside.

— tom maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Turn to natural insecticides to keep cucumbers worm free", 24 June 2017
Yahoo’s ineptitude in repelling (or even being aware of) hackers forced it to reduce its sale price to Verizon.

— jeff john roberts, Fortune, "Record Number of Americans Expected to Hit the Roads Over 4th of July", 22 June 2017
One is that phosphotyrosine doesn’t readily penetrate the cell wall of E. coli, because they both are negatively charged, and so repel each other.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Scripps, Salk scientists independently make key biological advance", 12 June 2017
Di Grassi had sprinted to pole earlier in the day, pipping DS Virgin Racing's Jose Maria Lopez by 1,000th of a second, but could do nothing to repel Rosenqvist as the race progressed.

— matthew knight, CNN, "Berlin ePrix: Rosenqvist charges to maiden Formula E win", 10 June 2017
Avoid them if possible, repel them with material containing DEET or similar, and keep moving when walking through areas that could harbor the bug.

— sallie lee, AL.com, "Invisible bugs cause major discomfort (Garden Talk)", 5 June 2017
Primal Screen, which premieres June 8, explores how individuals are simultaneously attracted to and repelled by what scares them most.

— kimberly nordyke, The Hollywood Reporter, "AMC Networks' Streamer Launches Original Programming With 'Primal Screen' Doc (Exclusive)", 2 June 2017
Basil naturally repels mosquitoes, aphids, flies, mites and tomato-eating hornworms.

— debbie arrington, sacbee.com, "Still time to plant tomatoes, basil", 2 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'repel'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

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").

Origin and Etymology of repel

Middle English repellen, from Middle French repeller, from Latin repellere, from re- + pellere to drive — more at felt

NEW!

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

REPEL Defined for English Language Learners

repel

play

verb

Definition of repel for English Language Learners

: to keep (something) out or away
: to force (an enemy, attacker, etc.) to stop an attack and turn away
physics : to force (something) to move away or apart

REPEL Defined for Kids

repel

play

verb re·pel \ri-ˈpel\

Definition of repel for Students

repelled

;

repelling

1 : to drive back We tried to repel the enemy.
2 : to push away Two magnets can repel each other.
3 : to keep out : resist The cloth is treated to repel water.
4 : ²disgust The sight repelled everyone.

Word Root of repel

The Latin word pellere, meaning “to cause to move” or “to drive,” gives us the root pel. Words from the Latin pellere have something to do with driving or causing something to move. To propel is to drive forward. To compel is to drive someone to do something. To expel is to drive out. To repel is to drive back or away.