repeal 1 of 2

verb

ri-ˈpēl How to pronounce repeal (audio)
Definition of repealnext
1
as in to cancel
to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to) the company called the furniture store to repeal the order for six new desks

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2
as in to abolish
to put an end to by formal action in 1933, Congress passed the 21st Amendment which repealed the Prohibition Amendment of 1919, thus making the sale, distribution, and use of alcohol legal once again

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3
as in to renounce
to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to) if I find that you have been lying about this, I'll instantly repeal every promise I made to you

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repeal

2 of 2

noun

1
as in cancellation
the act of putting an end to something planned or previously agreed to the long overdue repeal of laws prohibiting interracial marriage

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2
as in abolition
the doing away with something by formal action the repeal of Prohibition during Franklin D. Roosevelt's first term

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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 repeal
Verb
Most of the countries that adopted wealth taxes later repealed them, as the levies collapsed under the weight of their own expectations — with capital flight chief among the causes. — Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 13 July 2026 The ordinance authorizing the installation was repealed on July 6. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 11 July 2026
Noun
While Sacramento police had not enforced the ban for years, the repeal of the 1988 ordinance and the signs along Franklin Boulevard and Broadway was a milestone. — Hg Biggs, Sacbee.com, 22 June 2026 Headed into the announcement, any chance of a legislative repeal of the death penalty appeared unlikely. — CBS News, 18 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for repeal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repeal
  1. cancel
  2. abolish
  3. renounce
  4. cancellation
  5. abolition
  6. abandon
  7. overturn
  8. withdraw
Verb
  • Moghal said she was contacted by StubHub and told her tickets would remain canceled, then was later told the tickets would be available one hour before the game.
    — Lily Wright, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • Last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz abruptly canceled a public event to hold an emergency security meeting.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 July 2026
Definition of cancel
Verb
  • As a candidate, Hong has not backed away from her calls to defund and abolish the police.
    — Scott Bauer, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • In 2014, Pope Francis abolished the future use of the monsignor title — which denotes a specific honor — for most priests.
    — Vivian Wilson, Twin Cities, 8 July 2026
Definition of abolish
Verb
  • Spiritually, His Holiness is an emanation, or tulku, of the bodhisattva Chenrezig, who renounced nirvana to help mankind.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 July 2026
  • What follows are dozens of examples of how those whose names are familiar (or aren’t) and legendary (or infamous) for their actions while representing the state have been embraced (or renounced) by the rest of the country and beyond.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of renounce
Noun
  • Meanwhile, raging forest fires and a red-alert heat wave are shaking up France’s biggest national holiday, forcing the cancellation of traditional fireworks and firefighters’ balls.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
  • There were more than 10,000 delays and more than 1,200 cancellations on July 5, as many Americans traveled to celebrate Independence Day, according to FlightAware.
    — Liz Knueven, CNBC, 14 July 2026
Definition of cancellation
Noun
  • Instead, El-Sayed, who supports Medicare for All and the abolition of ICE, has established himself as both the most progressive candidate in the primary and the front-runner in the polls.
    — Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 10 July 2026
  • Once free, Jennings served the abolition movement, wrote the first White House memoir, and witnessed his sons fight with the Union Army in the Civil War.
    — Melia Patria, ABC News, 4 July 2026
Definition of abolition
Verb
  • The boxing ring metaphor was largely abandoned once the competition began, even though there were more opportunities to mix baseball’s tradition of walkup music with fight sports’ swaggering walkouts.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 14 July 2026
  • Critics of the deal hope that the lawsuit will force Paramount to abandon its merger dreams altogether, though that seems hard to imagine, and would leave WBD in a weak position.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of abandon
Verb
  • However, this theory has also been challenged by physicists who argue that the force of methane bubbles is unlikely to be powerful enough to overturn a ship.
    — Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 15 July 2026
  • The referee pointed straight to the spot and there was no chance the video assistant referee (VAR) was going to overturn it.
    — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of overturn
Verb
  • Women are stepping back from leadership roles, withdrawing from opportunities, and quietly losing trust in their own judgment in response to a biological event nobody told them was biological.
    — Dr. Sarah Berg, Time, 9 July 2026
  • After other State Department officials clarified that position, Dutch authorities withdrew the authorization while Machado’s aircraft was already in flight, forcing it to return.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
Definition of withdraw

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repays
repeal
repealed
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Cite this Entry

“Repeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repeal. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of repeal for Spanish Speakers

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