# rebel

/ˈɹɛbəɫ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/rebel
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. a person resisting authority

noun · CEFR B2

someone who fights against a government or a person in power.

For teachers: a person who rises in opposition or armed resistance against an established government or ruler.

- The rebels took control of the capital city after weeks of fighting.
- The government refused to negotiate with the rebels, labeling them as terrorists rather than political dissidents.

### 2. a non-conformist

noun · CEFR B2

someone who does not follow the usual rules of society or their family.

For teachers: a person who resists conventional social expectations or authority figures, often as a matter of personal identity.

- He was a bit of a rebel in high school and always wore clothes that broke the dress code.
- The artist was celebrated as a rebel who challenged the rigid aesthetic standards of the nineteenth-century academy.

### 3. to resist authority

verb · CEFR B2

to refuse to obey rules or to fight against those in power.

For teachers: to rise in opposition or show defiance toward an authority, established government, or social convention.

- Teenagers often rebel against their parents as they try to become independent.
- The provincial governors began to rebel against the central administration when the new tax laws were enforced without consultation.

Usage: The verb is intransitive and typically takes the preposition 'against'.

### 4. US Civil War soldier

noun · CEFR C1 · American English · Archaic

a soldier who fought for the South during the American Civil War.

For teachers: a supporter or soldier of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.

- The old history book told stories of the rebels and the union soldiers.
- The museum houses a collection of letters written by a young rebel stationed in Virginia during the final months of the conflict.

## Examples

- The young rebel refused to follow the school's strict rules.
- History books often describe the leaders of the revolution as rebels who fought for their independence.
- While the government labeled them as dangerous rebels, the local population viewed the group as liberators fighting against a decade of systemic corruption.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.