1
as in to repulse
to drive back
the defenders repelled the attacking army after several hours of fierce fighting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to disgust
to cause to feel disgust
the idea of chocolate-covered grasshoppers repels me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to resist
to refuse to give in to
repelled the temptation to stay out late and call in sick the next day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of repel
The assumption was that exaggeration would repel.
—
Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
One of them is by drawing up military models to repel a theoretical invasion from the US — the first time in a century that Canadian Armed Forces have done so.
—Joe Wilkins Published Jan 21, Futurism, 21 Jan. 2026
The polarising move attracted the right people and repelled the wrong ones without her spending any energy filtering.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
If antimatter ignored the weak equivalence principle, the atoms might have drifted upward, repelled by Earth.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for repel
Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
One of them is by drawing up military models to repel a theoretical invasion from the US — the first time in a century that Canadian Armed Forces have done so.
—Joe Wilkins Published Jan 21, Futurism, 21 Jan. 2026
The polarising move attracted the right people and repelled the wrong ones without her spending any energy filtering.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
If antimatter ignored the weak equivalence principle, the atoms might have drifted upward, repelled by Earth.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for repel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repel
Verb
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For reasons that are quite possibly too unbearable to contemplate, a large group of American voters was not repulsed by such slander—they were actually aroused by it—and our politics have not been the same.—
Jeffrey Goldberg,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
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Nicole is the kind of wife who moves out of her father’s home into her husband’s home, and who has been taught to be repulsed by the mushroom spores covering her body, just like all the women in their community.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Many Americans are rightfully disgusted by recent abuses of the pardon power to reward allies and exempt the president from the rule of law.—
Bernadette Meyler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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Ana-María Saíz-Molinar, 20, a Chandler resident and organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, said she was disgusted by the latest death at the hands of federal agents.—
Rey Covarrubias Jr,
AZCentral.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Crystals are materials whose particles form repeating patterns that resist deformation, commonly seen in nature as snowflakes, diamonds, or table salt.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
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Besides, Wall Street’s infatuation with AI was likely too hard to resist.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Most of those sickened were not vaccinated, and two children died.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
5 Jan. 2026
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Just thinking about it totally sickens me.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Lawmakers opposed to the move tore up agenda papers, shouted slogans and blew whistles, bringing proceedings to a halt.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
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In the wake of the fatal shootings of American citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers during operations on the streets of Minneapolis, a recent YouGov poll shows that more Americans support abolishing ICE than those opposed.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Chicago overcame a 14-point, first-half deficit and also withstood a 13-0 run from Minnesota in the fourth quarter.—
Tom Carothers,
Twin Cities,
23 Jan. 2026
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Trabuco Hills’ defense was crucial in helping the Mustangs withstand a fourth-quarter rally by Tesoro.—
Michael Huntley,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Repel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repel. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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