1
as in to repulse
to drive back
the defenders repelled the attacking army after several hours of fierce fighting
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to disgust
to cause to feel disgust
the idea of chocolate-covered grasshoppers repels me
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to resist
to refuse to give in to
repelled the temptation to stay out late and call in sick the next day
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of repel
Instead, environment-friendly alternatives like citrus, mint, and bay leaves can naturally repel these beetles away from your property.
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Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 7 Oct. 2024
As before, Israel’s missile defense system—with U.S. military assistance—successfully repelled the attack, limiting the damage and ensuring no Israeli casualties.
—Dalia Dassa Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2024
Companion Plants Some strongly scented plants naturally repel deer, and growing these plants near your pumpkins can provide an additional layer of protection for your crops.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Oct. 2024
The Office of Georgia's Secretary of State repelled a cyber attack earlier this month that appeared to be an attempt to shut down the website voters use to request absentee ballots ahead of the election.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for repel 
Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 7 Oct. 2024
As before, Israel’s missile defense system—with U.S. military assistance—successfully repelled the attack, limiting the damage and ensuring no Israeli casualties.
—Dalia Dassa Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2024
Companion Plants Some strongly scented plants naturally repel deer, and growing these plants near your pumpkins can provide an additional layer of protection for your crops.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Oct. 2024
The Office of Georgia's Secretary of State repelled a cyber attack earlier this month that appeared to be an attempt to shut down the website voters use to request absentee ballots ahead of the election.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for repel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repel
Verb
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He is especially repulsed by the behavior of Republicans after the 2020 election.Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 4 Nov. 2024
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Is she drawn to Chevalier and his alleged acts, or repulsed by them?Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Yet some of us in the audience, disgusted by the persistence of Nazism and anti-immigrant invective in the present, may well appreciate the force of McQueen’s rhetoric.Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
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The writer was disgusted with church policies of putting young women under control of male members and that one had repeatedly raped his charge and bragged about it.Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 30 Sep. 2024
Verb
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California’s choice to resist potential policies that are threatening to its citizens is very necessary.Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
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However, Buffett has apparently resisted any temptation to influence the race.Greg McKenna, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Foodborne pathogens sicken one in six Americans annually, leading to 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, according to the FDA.Louis Biscotti, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024
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By May 2020, almost 6000 people had been sickened and some 800 had died.ByKai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Such a test would be a sign of China’s weakening influence over Pyongyang and could spur Seoul to try to acquire nuclear weapons of its own—a position that both South Korea and the United States officially oppose but is gaining traction in Western policy circles.Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
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On October 10, commissioners voted to oppose an expansion of the number of SpaceX rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base, on the Santa Barbara coast.Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Verb
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For all the encouraging signs from the global year of elections, the most important question—whether American democracy can withstand four years of attempts to subvert it—remains contested.Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024
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Paired with a strong aluminum or steel pole structure, the heavy canvas fabric creates a resilient structure that can withstand weather in a way that the flexible poles and thin fabrics of backpacking tents could never achieve.Wes Siler, Outside Online, 6 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near repel
Cite this Entry
“Repel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repel. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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