Library / English Dictionary

REPEL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: repelled    , repelling   

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Reject outright and bluntly

Example:

She snubbed his proposal

Synonyms:

rebuff; repel; snub

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "repel" is one way to...):

disdain; freeze off; pooh-pooh; reject; scorn; spurn; turn down (reject with contempt)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 2

Meaning:

Force or drive back

Example:

rebuff the attack

Synonyms:

drive back; fight off; rebuff; repel; repulse

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Hypernyms (to "repel" is one way to...):

defend; fight; fight back; fight down; oppose (fight against or resist strongly)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

repulsive (possessing the ability to repel)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Cause to move back by force or influence

Example:

beat back the invaders

Synonyms:

beat back; drive; force back; push back; repel; repulse

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "repel" is one way to...):

force; push (move with force)

Verb group:

drive (cause to move rapidly by striking or throwing with force)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s something from somebody
Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Antonym:

attract (direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes)

Derivation:

repulsive (possessing the ability to repel)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Be repellent to; cause aversion in

Synonyms:

repel; repulse

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Hypernyms (to "repel" is one way to...):

displease (give displeasure to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "repel"):

churn up; disgust; nauseate; revolt; sicken (cause aversion in; offend the moral sense of)

put off; turn off (cause to feel intense dislike or distaste)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence example:

The performance is likely to repel Sue

Antonym:

attract (be attractive to)

Derivation:

repellant (a chemical substance that repels animals)

repellant (highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust)

repellant (serving or tending to repel)

repellent (a chemical substance that repels animals)

repellent (highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust)

repulsive (so extremely ugly as to be terrifying)

repulsive (offensive to the mind)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Fill with distaste

Example:

This spoilt food disgusts me

Synonyms:

disgust; gross out; repel; revolt

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "repel" is one way to...):

excite; stimulate; stir (stir feelings in)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "repel"):

nauseate; sicken; turn one's stomach (upset and make nauseated)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

repellant (highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust)

repellant (serving or tending to repel)

repellent (highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust)

repulsive (so extremely ugly as to be terrifying)

repulsive (offensive to the mind)

Credits

 Context examples: 

“It seems to me that I have done you full justice in the matter,” I remarked with some coldness, for I was repelled by the egotism which I had more than once observed to be a strong factor in my friend’s singular character.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

There are, or there may be, customs and octroi officers to pass. His pursuers might follow. This is his highest fear; and in order to prevent his being betrayed he has repelled, so far as he can, even his victim—me!

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

As with the running mate on the left, she repelled these attentions with her teeth; but when both bestowed their attentions at the same time she was roughly jostled, being compelled, with quick snaps to either side, to drive both lovers away and at the same time to maintain her forward leap with the pack and see the way of her feet before her.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Any chemical substance, biological agent or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest, including insects, plant pathogens, weeds, mollusks, birds, mammals, fish, nematodes (roundworms) and microbes that compete with humans for food, destroy property, spread or are a vector for disease or are a nuisance.

(Pesticide, NCI Thesaurus)

I recollect being very much surprised by the feint everybody made, then, of not having been to sleep at all, and by the uncommon indignation with which everyone repelled the charge.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

He was self-repelled, as though he had undergone some degradation or was intrinsically foul.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

In Darcy's presence she dared not mention Wickham's name; but Elizabeth instantly comprehended that he was uppermost in her thoughts; and the various recollections connected with him gave her a moment's distress; but exerting herself vigorously to repel the ill-natured attack, she presently answered the question in a tolerably detached tone.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

I drew near houses; I left them, and came back again, and again I wandered away: always repelled by the consciousness of having no claim to ask—no right to expect interest in my isolated lot. Meantime, the afternoon advanced, while I thus wandered about like a lost and starving dog.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

To explain the manner of its progress, let A B represent a line drawn across the dominions of Balnibarbi, let the line c d represent the loadstone, of which let d be the repelling end, and c the attracting end, the island being over C: let the stone be placed in position c d, with its repelling end downwards; then the island will be driven upwards obliquely towards D.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

Don't repel him.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)