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
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
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
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
Noun
-
So after an abysmal home sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox over Fourth of July weekend, Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner delivered news of the dismissals to Rizzo and field manager Dave Martinez.—
Barry Svrluga,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
Even so, these dismissals are symptomatic of a system in crisis.—
Rebecca Dunlea,
The Conversation,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
That’s what really disgusts me.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Straw naturally repels water because its outer layer is coated with a naturally occurring wax.—
Noah Daly,
Idaho Statesman,
13 June 2026
-
But basil also has a rich fragrance that repels an assortment of pests, including mosquitoes, flies, and even tomato hornworms.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
For many, two key snubs for Mauricio Pochettino’s first World Cup roster were in the midfield, as Diego Luna and Tanner Tessman weren’t among the 26 men on the stage at Pier 17.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
-
Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, Levi Colwill and Estevao will all get a full summer to recover their minds and bodies and enjoy the benefits of something resembling a proper pre-season, fuelled by the additional motivation of their World Cup snubs.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
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
Verb
-
The ambiguity of Chinese, the way meaning pools in the spaces between words, resists translation.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
15 June 2026
-
The enamel is nonreactive, nonporous, and also resists stains, rust, scratches, and smell absorption.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Trump’s rejections cast a long shadow — not just over Illinois but over the entire federal disaster-response system — which critics say the president has bent to serve political ends.—
Daniel C. Vock,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
-
If your organization is currently struggling with 10DLC compliance in the form of rejections or slow registration approval timelines, those issues won't disappear with RCS.—
Aaron Alter,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Repulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repulses. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
