REBELS Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

rebels 1 of 2

noun

plural of rebel

as in insurgents

a person who rises up against authority the rebel would not submit peacefully, even after he was captured

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rebels

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of rebel

as in revolts

to rise up against established authority the colonists rebelled in the wake of an onslaught of abuses

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of rebels

Noun

But the rebels earlier acknowledged targeting Saudi airports and oil and military installations in recent days. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026 The kingdom launched a major offensive last week to support Yemeni government forces fighting the Houthis, but the rebels have so far held their ground. — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026 Those gains gave the rebels better surveillance of shipping on a corridor that’s a crucial alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been attacking ships. — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026 Those gains gave the rebels better surveillance of shipping on a corridor that is a crucial alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been attacking ships. — Samy Magdy, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026 The Saudis did not blame any party for the attacks, but Houthi rebels took credit earlier for the airport strikes. — Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026 While the British prevailed over the rebels, the uprising laid the foundations for African nationalism. — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026 Today, the challenges facing the continent include a humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, a spate of kidnappings and killings in Nigeria, and conflict between rebels and government forces in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. — Goodluck Ajeh, Christian Science Monitor, 25 Sep. 2026

Verb

Masahiro Motoki — the Oscar-winning star of Departures — plays a lord who rebels against warlord Oda Nobunaga and barricades himself inside Arioka Castle, only to face a string of unsolved murders within its walls. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026 Set against the backdrop of the 1998 São Paulo World Cup between Brazil and France, Amarela follows 14-year-old Erika Oguihara (Melissa Uehara), a Japanese Brazilian sports fanatic who rebels against her family’s more Japanese cultural traditions. — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2026 As the professor navigates retirement, the baby grows into a rambunctious child who rebels against the traditions of her fishing community. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebels

Noun

They’re seen as oligarchs, as the people with wealth and power, controlling our lives—not as outsider insurgents.

— Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
International sanctions persisted, and PF’s ZANLA and ZIPRA insurgents continued their liberation war.

— Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of insurgents

Noun

State media claimed that revolutionaries had been trained by Israel and tied them, simultaneously, to the United States, Iran, Hamas, al-Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, and international NGOs.

— Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
Exiled revolutionaries needed somewhere to go, as did poorer residents who were hoping the revolution would improve conditions.

— Blaise Mesa, jsonline.com, 18 Sep. 2026