repel

verb

ri-ˈpel How to pronounce repel (audio)
Definition of repelnext
1
as in to repulse
to drive back the defenders repelled the attacking army after several hours of fierce fighting

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2
as in to disgust
to cause to feel disgust the idea of chocolate-covered grasshoppers repels me

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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

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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 repel Ion-generating toothbrushes release charged particles to induce a polarity that helps repel plaque, for example. — Mike McRae, New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2026 Instead, the polyphosphates work almost like a magnet to repel stains and form a protective shield, while keeping your teeth strong and healthy. — Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 3 Nov. 2026 Uganda is withdrawing troops deployed for years in Somalia under an African Union peacekeeping force that helped repel militants in the Horn of Africa nation, military authorities said on Monday. — ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026 Bringing them together is difficult because nuclei carry positive electrical charges and repel each other. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for repel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repel
  1. repulse
  2. disgust
  3. resist
  4. sicken
  5. oppose
  6. withstand
Verb
  • Her widowed aunt plays chaperone as Susanna attends heady lectures and repulses her many suitors.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Young people just aren’t interested, partly because they’re repulsed by bodily fluids.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of repulse
Verb
  • Nonpartisan voters are just as disgusted by politicians who sacrifice the public good for their personal gain.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Kaufhold thinks that something might be a heightened sensitivity to disgust.
    — Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of disgust
Verb
  • Retail is a recent addition for a designer who long resisted it.
    — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2026
  • In July 2025, Bennett and another man were charged with resisting arrest after a confrontation with LAPD officers at a candlelight vigil a few blocks from where Foreman was killed this year.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of resist
Verb
  • The Aliso Canyon gas leak took nearly four months to control, sickened thousands of families and forced them from their homes near the San Fernando Valley to escape a sulfurous stench and maladies including headaches, nausea and nose bleeds.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The finding also comes on the heels of a record-breaking cyclospora outbreak this summer that sickened 12,883 people across 21 states, hospitalized at least 570 and was associated with two deaths in Michigan.
    — Megan R. Wilson, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of sicken
Verb
  • These people eventually were able to think outside opposing viewpoints.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Nov. 2026
  • The proposal would face resistance from congressional Republicans, private insurers, and others opposed to fundamentally restructuring the country’s healthcare system.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of oppose
Verb
  • Tests showed that the structure could withstand more than 100 million operating cycles.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Jayden Daniels has been playing some good football, not withstanding his brain cramp against the Giants.
    — Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of withstand

Browse Nearby Words

repeats
repel
repelled
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Cite this Entry

“Repel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repel. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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