repulses 1 of 2

noun

plural of repulse
as in rebuffs
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

repulses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of repulse
1
as in disgusts
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 repels
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 repulses
Verb
Sigmund Freud believed that every crush has a strand of disgust, that people are attracted to what repulses them. — Daniel Felsenthal, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026 Charlie, though, is trying to keep them out of a country that thoroughly repulses him. — Alexander Nazaryan, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repulses
  1. dismissals
  2. disgusts
  3. repels
  4. snubs
  5. sickens
  6. resists
  7. rejections
Noun
  • Moreover, about half of California’s public safety turnover was due to workers retiring to take their pension benefits, not to resignations or dismissals.
    — Mariana Trujillo, Oc Register, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The true drama in the faction has centered around Morgan’s dismissals of Perez, the group’s young star who has all the potential in the world to be a world champion one day.
    — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismissals
Verb
  • That’s what really disgusts me.
    — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
Definition of disgusts
Verb
  • Celery, thyme, marigold, and chamomile can help mask the smell of cabbage plants, while borage repels the moths.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 27 July 2026
  • While it's best known for triggering playful behavior in cats, researchers have long known the compound also repels insects.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 8 July 2026
Definition of repels
Noun
  • Carell himself has been quiet about it, never really addressing the snubs in public.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 9 Aug. 2026
  • There were some surprise snubs but with A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, this roster is stacked.
    — Nancy Armour, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of snubs
Verb
  • Alcohol kills 178,000 Americans each year and sickens countless more.
    — Lev Facher, STAT, 12 May 2026
  • Just thinking about it totally sickens me.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
Definition of sickens
Verb
  • Aparicio resists drawing conclusions, privileging an experiential approach with its own rhythms, ambitious in scope yet intimate in focus, that could well become an arthouse sleeper.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
  • But while high-end hospitality can easily be bought and packaged, what happened at the sanctuary that day resists easy aestheticization.
    — Charley Ward, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of resists
Noun
  • Nearly all of them ghosted her, and few took the time to even send out rejections.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Though Flock has its cameras in over 5,000 US cities as of July 2026, the rise in rejections at the municipal level comes amidst a tidal wave of outrage around issues of privacy and civil rights.
    — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of rejections

Browse Nearby Words

repulsed
repulses
repulsing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Repulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repulses. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on repulses

Nglish: Translation of repulses for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of oxymoron

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
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
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All