as in insurgents
a person who rises up against authority
the rebel would not submit peacefully, even after he was captured
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in revolts
to rise up against established authority
the colonists rebelled in the wake of an onslaught of abuses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rebels
Josh Meyer, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
North was part of the twin schemes to sell weapons to Iran and then use proceeds to fund anti-communist rebels, known as the Contras, in Nicaragua.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
There has been concern about the cables being targeted in a Red Sea campaign by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, which the rebels describe as an effort to pressure Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
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
Rather than taking comfort in this counsel, Shinhye rebels against it.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2025
Thing rebels against his master and yanks out his clockwork heart.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Saturday vowed to take revenge for the killing of their prime minister and other political leaders by Israeli airstrikes earlier this week.
—Eyad Kourdi, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025
The son, known only as ‘the Boy,’ is driven to doubt by another mysterious child and rebels against his guardian, the Carpenter, revealing inherent powers and a fate beyond his comprehension.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
North was convicted in 1989 on three felony charges for helping to arrange the illicit sale of weapons to Iran and divert the proceeds to fund a secret war against anti-communist Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
North was part of the twin schemes to sell weapons to Iran and then use proceeds to fund anti-communist rebels, known as the Contras, in Nicaragua.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
There has been concern about the cables being targeted in a Red Sea campaign by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, which the rebels describe as an effort to pressure Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
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
Rather than taking comfort in this counsel, Shinhye rebels against it.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2025
Thing rebels against his master and yanks out his clockwork heart.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Saturday vowed to take revenge for the killing of their prime minister and other political leaders by Israeli airstrikes earlier this week.
—Eyad Kourdi, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025
The son, known only as ‘the Boy,’ is driven to doubt by another mysterious child and rebels against his guardian, the Carpenter, revealing inherent powers and a fate beyond his comprehension.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebels
Noun
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This might enable a mission which, for example, a Viper is located covertly next to a safe house known to be used by insurgents.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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The state Republicans have routinely witnessed battles between far-right insurgents who in recent years have complained the party isn’t Trumpy enough and the financial institutional wing that has long been the GOP establishment and funded the party for decades.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Further east, the Russian revolutionaries of 1917 adopted a utopian faith in material progress and science.—
Sonja Fritzsche,
The Conversation,
9 Sep. 2025
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The film was One Battle After Another, Anderson’s high-octane adaptation of Vineland, Thomas Pynchon’s anarchic 1990 novel about a crew of former leftist revolutionaries — the French 75 — living in a slightly more dystopian version of present-day America.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rebels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebels. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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