repulse 1 of 2

noun

Definition of repulsenext
as in dismissal
treatment that is deliberately unfriendly the waiter's incredibly rude repulse of our polite request for a better table—one that wasn't right next to the kitchen—prompted us to walk out

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

repulse

2 of 2

verb

ri-ˈpəls How to pronounce repulse (audio)
1
as in to disgust
to cause to feel disgust the smell of that town's paper mill totally repulses me

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to repel
to drive back the defense repeatedly repulsed all of the offense's attempts to move the ball forward, keeping them firmly planted on the 20-yard line

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 repulse
Noun
Larger than life, his creation repulses and torments him, and Victor spends the rest of his life both running from it and trying to destroy it. — Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024 The optical, stop-motion, and puppetry effects alone should make Brain Damage a priority on your watchlist, but Henenlotter’s film excites and repulses on a deeper level. — Rory Doherty, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
Verb
Philly may be shedding its second-fiddle status, but it remains entirely repulsed by frauds and underachievers. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 July 2026 Spearmint and peppermint plants are particularly effective insect repellents, but many other plants in the mint family can also be used to repulse flies, including pennyroyal and lemon balm. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for repulse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repulse
  1. dismissal
  2. disgust
  3. repel
  4. rebuff
  5. sicken
  6. resist
  7. rejection
  8. appall
Noun
  • Showers could develop around lunchtime and continue into the afternoon, potentially affecting school dismissal in some neighborhoods.
    — Lissette Gonzalez, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The Titans announced Elliott’s dismissal on Tuesday but provided no details on the incident that prompted it.
    — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of dismissal
Verb
  • Janice was disgusted; Mary was emotionally devastated and financially ruined.
    — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • But discussing the importance of a top-10 win in October seemed to disgust Drinkwitz.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of disgust
Verb
  • Federal law prohibits armed federal agents from conducting activities in and around polling places unless force is necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States.
    — Ana Goñi-Lessan, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The patent-pending fabric technology delivers the comfort and insulation of traditional sherpa while actively repelling hay, straw, mulch and grass from clinging to the high-pile fleece.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of repel
Noun
  • Perhaps this accident of birth is connected to the subtle rebuff of modern life in Marcon’s films.
    — Matthew McLean, Artforum, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The rebuff contributes to the future civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, in which Rhaenyra battles her half-brother Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) for the seat of power.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 30 July 2026
Definition of rebuff
Verb
  • Reporter covering local breaking news Federal health officials are investigating a multistate salmonella outbreak that has been linked to raw oysters and sickened 27 people across a dozen states.
    — Dana Hedgpeth, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The state’s outbreak has spread to dozens of counties, sickened over 1,200 people, and put 176 in the hospital.
    — Raj Panjabi, STAT, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of sicken
Verb
  • And strength to resist reducing complex human challenges to slogans, enemies, or simple answers.
    — Halla Tómasdóttir, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The new generation of therapeutic peptides is chemically modified to resist breakdown in the gastrointestinal tract, where traditional peptide drugs degrade before they can be absorbed.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of resist
Noun
  • The shouts of rejection came in part because there was a plausible scenario under which James would have opened the season at Madison Square Garden in a Knicks uniform.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Long before launch, the team faced obstacles that nearly thwarted the endeavor — chiefly, two rejections from NASA — before finally securing the green light for the $1 billion project under the New Frontiers Program in 2011.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of rejection
Verb
  • Dorian Thornley, the proprietor of Westsider Rare and Used Books, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, gives a basic literary-knowledge quiz to the young college graduates applying to work there, and has been appalled at the results.
    — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • He was especially encouraged by conversations with current Cornell students, who said the campus needs more people who are appalled by the current news.
    — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of appall

Browse Nearby Words

repugnant
repulse
repulsed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Repulse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repulse. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of puissant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All