repel
to drive or force back (an assailant, invader, etc.).
to thrust back or away.
to resist effectively (an attack, onslaught, etc.).
to keep off or out; fail to mix with: Water and oil repel each other.
to resist the absorption or passage of (water or other liquid): This coat repels rain.
to refuse to have to do with; resist involvement in: to repel temptation.
to refuse to accept or admit; reject: to repel a suggestion.
to discourage the advances of (a person): He repelled me with his harshness.
to cause distaste or aversion in: Their untidy appearance repelled us.
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.
to act with a force that drives or keeps away something.
to cause distaste or aversion.
Origin of repel
1Other words for repel
Opposites for repel
Other words from repel
- 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
- non·re·pel·len·cy, noun
- non·re·pel·ler, noun
- self-re·pel·len·cy, noun
- un·re·pelled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for repel
/ (rɪˈpɛl) /
to force or drive back (something or somebody, esp an attacker)
(also intr) to produce a feeling of aversion or distaste in (someone or something); be disgusting (to)
to push aside; dismiss: he repelled the suggestion as wrong and impossible
to be effective in keeping away, controlling, or resisting: an aerosol spray that repels flies
to have no affinity for; fail to mix with or absorb: water and oil repel each other
to disdain to accept (something); turn away from or spurn: she repelled his advances
(also intr) to exert an opposing force on (something): an electric charge repels another charge of the same sign
Origin of repel
1repel
Derived forms of repel
- repeller, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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