repelled; repelling
3
a
: to drive away : discourage
foul words and frowns must not repel a lover—
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
b
: to be incapable of adhering to, mixing with, taking up, or holding
c
: to force away or apart or tend to do so by mutual action at a distance
4
: to cause aversion in : disgust
: to cause aversion
repeller
noun
Did you know?
When to Use Repel
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").
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 on the Web
Fill the hot water, add a small amount of dish soap, and a disinfecting spray to repel odors and maintain bacteria at bay.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 11 July 2025
The massive aerial assault involved 728 drones and 13 missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force said, eclipsing the previous record number of 539 drones, set on July 4, by hundreds – but it was largely repelled, with the damage limited and no immediate reports of deaths.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 9 July 2025
That same year Russia was also struggling to repel Ukraine’s military incursion into Kursk, with some 15 battalions lost in Kursk alone.
—Natasha Lindstaedt, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, the Ukrainian military repelled the Russian assault on Kyiv and went on to retake more than half the territory that Russian forces initially seized.
—Jon Finer, Foreign Affairs, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for repel
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 11 July 2025
The massive aerial assault involved 728 drones and 13 missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force said, eclipsing the previous record number of 539 drones, set on July 4, by hundreds – but it was largely repelled, with the damage limited and no immediate reports of deaths.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 9 July 2025
That same year Russia was also struggling to repel Ukraine’s military incursion into Kursk, with some 15 battalions lost in Kursk alone.
—Natasha Lindstaedt, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, the Ukrainian military repelled the Russian assault on Kyiv and went on to retake more than half the territory that Russian forces initially seized.
—Jon Finer, Foreign Affairs, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for repel
Cite this Entry
“Repel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repel. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
repel
verb
re·pel
ri-ˈpel 
repelled; repelling
1
a
: to drive back
repel the enemy
b
: to fight against : resist
2
: to refuse to accept : reject
repel a suggestion
3
a
: to be incapable of sticking to, mixing with, taking up, or holding
a fabric that repels water
b
: to force away or apart or tend to do so by mutual action at a distance
two like electrical charges repel each other
4
: disgust
a sight that repelled everyone
repeller
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share