to push back or away by a force, as one body acting upon another (opposed to attract): The north pole of one magnet will repel the north pole of another.

COLLAPSE

verb (used without object)

11.

to act with a force that drives or keeps away something.

12.

to cause distaste or aversion.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Repel is a GRE word you need to know.

So is refulgent. Does it mean:

restore to good condition

brilliant

LEARN MORE GRE WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English repellen < Latin repellere to drive back, equivalent to re- re- + pellere to drive, push; see repulse

Related forms

re·pel·lence, re·pel·len·cy, noun

re·pel·ler, noun

re·pel·ling·ly, adverb

re·pel·ling·ness, noun

non·re·pel·lence, noun

EXPAND

non·re·pel·len·cy, noun

non·re·pel·ler, noun

self-re·pel·len·cy, noun

un·re·pelled, adjective

COLLAPSE

Synonyms
1. repulse, parry, ward off. 3. withstand, oppose, rebuff. 7. decline, rebuff.

Antonyms
1. attract.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To repel

Example Sentences

They may smell pleasant to us, but the plants make them to repel their mortal enemies.

The response of business to the euro crisis, a company encourages good health and armed guards on boats repel pirates.

Hazarika said the elephants would not eat the chilies because the smell would be enough to repel them.

EXPAND

They may smell pleasant to us, but the plants make them to repel their mortal enemies.

The response of business to the euro crisis, a company encourages good health and armed guards on boats repel pirates.

Hazarika said the elephants would not eat the chilies because the smell would be enough to repel them.

Some of these soaps can also be used in the garden to repel insects.

And some substances might be ingested in the roots of the trees to make them repel visitors.

The same principle is probably what helps them repel water.

It seeks to repel enemies with a painful energy beam.

If you are looking for a chemical-free way to repel mosquitoes, you may already have the solution in your home.

Stairwells are pressurised to repel smoke and entered only through air-lock-style vestibules.

Like chili plants, tarantulas produce agony-inflicting toxins designed to repel would-be predators, researchers say.

At that point, the electrons at the surface of your fingers repel the electrons on either side of the page.

If desired, you can spray or wipe the wood with a clear wood preservative to help it repel water.

Nano-Tex's science-meets-style fabric treatment is designed to repel liquids and messy edibles.

The response of business to the euro crisis, a company encourages good health, and armed guards on boats repel pirates.

Moreover, positrons carry electric charge and naturally repel each other.

Seems to neither consistently attract nor repel them.

One day a domestic version might even repel burglars.

Such incentives attract the lazy and mediocre and repel the talented or diligent.

There's a fungus among us chili fans-and some of the spicy peppers evolve their kick to repel it, a new study says.

Iamorpa, you are a genius at presenting good ideas in such a fashion as to totally repel the reader.

Depending on the spin, electrons either attract or repel metals.

Electrodes located behind the capsules can therefore attract or repel the particles.

Substances such as oils, beeswax, and pine tree resins-which repel water and microbes-were then applied.

With few sharks to repel or attract, they chose pit bulls.

Nor may it deploy the armed forces at home except to repel foreign attacks or deal with catastrophes.

Like tinted car windows, thermal films on home windows block ultraviolet rays and repel heat.

As well as allowing you to enjoy midwinter barbecues in comfort, it repel all sorts of pests.

The fish in a local park fascinate and repel her in equal measure.

The exterior is treated to repel dirt, stains and even a light rainfall.

Comics repel the casual reader with open-ended story arcs.

Bigger groups are also better able to repel neighbors' attempts to take over their ranges.

Ravens flew in, sat on his wounded hip, and tore pieces of his flesh while he feebly tried to repel them.

Days are warm, but the water is still cold enough to repel the motorheads.

Point out that birds produce a natural oil on their feathers that helps repel water.

Eisner's research revealed the complex chemistry that insects use to repel predators, attract mates and protect their young.

Engineers know that cable insulation can temporarily lose its ability to repel water under extreme conditions.

They could also make the surfaces attract or repel oil.

Border agents prepare to fly in and repel off of a mountain to rescue an errant border crosser.

The second wavelength causes a repel effect that discourages advancing aggressors.

Here the crucial elements attract, repel and explode.

Six times members of her kinship group rushed in to repel the lions and tried to get her back on her feet.

The fragrance will keep clothes smelling fresh and the natural resins in the cedar, although not insecticides, will repel moths.

It would be alot easier than having to repel down a book shaft to pick one out.

It can create a positive or negative charge that can either attract or repel other objects.

Fowler, who said he believes that some day fabrics may be able to eat grease as well, and also repel water and dust.

Firehoses are made ready to repel boarders or are even kept spraying continuously to deter them.

If the same ultrasonic approach could be used to repel the insects then that would be preferable.

The magnets, embedded in the wooden bricks, repel each other and push the blocks apart.

The community of nations has resolutely gathered to condemn and repel lawless aggression.

One boron compound is used to treat wood to prevent fungal decay and repel carpenter ants, roaches and termites.

The flowers contain terpene oils, which repel mammals that might feed on them.

Navy developed a life jacket which gave off a dye and chemicals that were supposed to repel and confuse feeding sharks.

Their fine senses and strong aggression may help identify and repel enemies that are interested in people's property.

So you divide your energy between growing as quickly as you can and producing toxins in your leaves to repel pests.

He knew that they were all in this together, that they somehow had to repel this superior invading force.

The reaction of fuel and oxygen releases electrical charges that repel each other and cause the nanotube sheet to expand.

Today's teacher compensation system is perfectly designed to repel ambitious individuals.

Individually, they either attract or repel ants, or cause them to become agitated and aggressive.

Scientists soon focused on ants, which contain alkaloids used to mark trails, repel enemies and attack prey.

He would not name the plants, but compared the idea to the power of citronella to repel mosquitoes.

Tape recorders apparently repel him, and he doesn't.

Certain plants contain volatile oils that repel and kill insects.

The particles absorb oil, but repel water, so they could be placed in booms on the surface of an oil spill and collected later.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

repel (rɪˈpɛl)

—vb , -pels, -pelling, -pelled
1.	to force or drive back (something or somebody, esp an attacker)
2.	(also intr) to produce a feeling of aversion or distaste in (someone or something); be disgusting (to)
3.	to push aside; dismiss: he repelled the suggestion as wrong and impossible
4.	to be effective in keeping away, controlling, or resisting: an aerosol spray that repels flies
5.	to have no affinity for; fail to mix with or absorb: water and oil repel each other
6.	to disdain to accept (something); turn away from or spurn: she repelled his advances
7.	(also intr) to exert an opposing force on (something): an electric charge repels another charge of the same sign

[C15: from Latin repellere, from re- + pellere to push, drive]



re'peller

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

repel

c.1421, "to drive away, remove," from O.Fr. repeller, from L. repellere "to drive back," from re- "back" + pellere "to drive, strike" (see pulse (1)). Meaning "to affect (a person) with distaste or aversion" is from 1817. Repellent (adj.) is recorded from 1643, from L. repellentem, prp. of repellere;

EXPAND

originally of medicines (that reduced tumors); meaning "distasteful, disagreeable" first recorded 1797. The noun sense of "substance that repels insects" first recorded 1908.

COLLAPSE

Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com

Searching for repel?
How many words do you actually know?

FIND OUT

hold mothball ripple shed stink

Matching Quote

"In 1862 the congregation of the church forwarded the church bell to General Beauregard to be melted into cannon, "hoping that its gentle tones, that have so often called us to the House of God, may be transmuted into war's resounding rhyme to repel the ruthless invader from the beautiful land God, in his goodness, has given us.""

-Federal Writers' Project Of The Wor

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help