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

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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

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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

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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
  • Multiple criminal cases had involved Berlusconi, but most ended in dismissals.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The dismissals ended the corruption review, which was in its early stages.
    — William Turton, ProPublica, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of dismissals
Verb
  • That’s what really disgusts me.
    — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
Definition of disgusts
Verb
  • This natural pest control spray keeps roaches, stink bugs, spiders, ants, centipedes, crickets, and tons of other bugs away thanks to its strong scent that repels them without harsh chemicals.
    — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Spray the areas around your home where wasps have gathered in the past with peppermint essential oil spray, which Wong says overwhelms their sensory receptors and naturally repels them.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of repels
Noun
  • As his son Charles recounts in Swan Song, when Diana considered calling off her wedding to Prince Charles after suffering various snubs from the heir to the throne, Count Spencer flatly rejected his youngest daughter’s idea.
    — Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Its complete omission from the 2026 Latin Grammy nominations was one of the most notable snubs on Wednesday morning.
    — Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of snubs
Verb
  • Domoic acid is a toxin produced by algae and typically sickens animals that feed on open-ocean fish.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Alcohol kills 178,000 Americans each year and sickens countless more.
    — Lev Facher, STAT, 12 May 2026
Definition of sickens
Verb
  • Unlike Paris or New York, which are exhibitionists and appreciate a certain voyeur, Milan, as Porter implied, resists a single definition.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 26 Sep. 2026
  • That’s an attitude that Paulo Herkenhoff, a septuagenarian art curator, resists.
    — Constance Malleret, Christian Science Monitor, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of resists
Noun
  • Meanwhile, Stallone endured an avalanche of rejections from agents who felt his slurry speech and asymmetrical mouth were liabilities — the very traits, of course, that would mark him as an original in a few short years.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The connection to ego may help explain why rejections are so painful, even for people who had already been contemplating ending their relationship—but then their partner beat them to the punch.
    — George Loewenstein, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of rejections

Browse Nearby Words

repulsed
repulses
repulsing
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Cite this Entry

“Repulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repulses. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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