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rebel - 6 dictionary results

reb⋅el

  [n., adj. reb-uhl; v. ri-bel] noun, adjective, verb, -belled, -bel⋅ling.
Use rebel in a Sentence
–noun
1. a person who refuses allegiance to, resists, or rises in arms against the government or ruler of his or her country.
2. a person who resists any authority, control, or tradition.
–adjective
3. rebellious; defiant.
4. of or pertaining to rebels.
–verb (used without object) rebel
5. to reject, resist, or rise in arms against one's government or ruler.
6. to resist or rise against some authority, control, or tradition.
7. to show or feel utter repugnance: His very soul rebelled at spanking the child.
Origin:
1250–1300; (adj.) ME < OF rebelle < L rebellis renewing a war, equiv. to re- re- + bell(um) war + -is adj. suffix; (v.) ME rebellen (< OF rebeller) < L rebellāre; (n.) ME rebel, deriv. of the adj.

Related forms:
reb⋅el⋅like, adjective

Synonyms:
1. insurrectionist, mutineer, traitor. 1, 3. insurgent. 3. mutinous. 5. revolt, mutiny.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To rebel
re·bel   (rĭ-běl')   
intr.v.   re·belled, re·bel·ling, re·bels
  1. To refuse allegiance to and oppose by force an established government or ruling authority.
  2. To resist or defy an authority or a generally accepted convention.
  3. To feel or express strong unwillingness or repugnance: She rebelled at the unwelcome suggestion.
n.   reb·el (rěb'əl)
  1. One who rebels or is in rebellion: "He is the perfect recruit for fascist movements: a rebel not a revolutionary, contemptuous yet envious of the rich and involved with them" (Stanley Hoffman).
  2. Rebel A Confederate soldier.

[Middle English rebellen, from Old French rebeller, from Latin rebellāre : re-, re- + bellāre, to make war (from bellum, war). N., Middle English, rebellious, rebel, from Old French rebelle, from Latin rebellis, from rebellāre.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Rebel

Reb"el\, a. [F. rebelle, fr. L. rebellis. See Rebel, v. t.] Pertaining to rebels or rebellion; acting in revolt; rebellious; as, rebel troops.

Whoso be rebel to my judgment. --Chaucer.

Convict by flight, and rebel to all law. --Milton.

Rebel

Reb"el\, n. [F. rebelle.] One who rebels.

Syn: Revolter; insurgent.

Usage: Rebel, Insurgent. Insurgent marks an early, and rebel a more advanced, stage of opposition to government. The former rises up against his rulers, the latter makes war upon them.

Rebel

Re*bel"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Rebelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Rebelling.] [F. rebeller, fr. L. rebellare to make war again; pref. re- again + bellare to make war, fr. bellum war. See Bellicose, and cf. Revel to carouse.]

1. To renounce, and resist by force, the authority of the ruler or government to which one owes obedience. See Rebellion.

The murmur and the churl's rebelling. --Chaucer.

Ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against the Lord. --Josh. xxii. 16.

2. To be disobedient to authority; to assume a hostile or insubordinate attitude; to revolt.

Hoe could my hand rebel against my heart? How could you heart rebel against your reason? --Dryden.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : rebel
Spanish: rebelde,
German: der, *die Rebell(in), Rebellen-…,
Japanese: 反逆者
More Translations »

rebel  (adj.)
1297, from O.Fr. rebelle (12c.), from L. rebellis "insurgent, rebellious," from rebellare "to rebel, wage war against," from re- "opposite, against," or perhaps "again" + bellare "wage war," from bellum "war." The noun is attested from c.1400. Meaning "supporter of the American cause in the War of Independence" is from 1775; sense of "supporter of the Southern cause in the American Civil War" is attested from April 15, 1861.
"The Southern troops, when charging or to express their delight, always yell in a manner peculiar to themselves. ... The Confederate officers declare that the rebel yell has a particular merit, and always produces a salutary and useful effect upon their adversaries. A corps is sometimes spoken of as a 'good yelling regiment.' " [A.J.L. Fremantle, "Three Months in the Southern States," 1863]
The verb (1375) is from O.Fr. rebeller, from L. rebellare. Rebellion first attested c.1340; rebellious is from 1432.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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