repel
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to fight back against an enemy or attacker and force them to go away.
to drive back or ward off an assailant or an advancing military force through physical or tactical resistance.
Simple“The army managed to repel the invaders after a long battle at the border.”
In context“The garrison successfully repelled the initial assault, though the commander knew they lacked the supplies to withstand a prolonged siege.”
UsageThis is a transitive verb that always takes a direct object, usually the force being pushed back.
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to successfully keep something away, like water or insects.
to resist or keep out a substance or organism by physical or chemical properties.
Simple“This new jacket is designed to repel water even in heavy rain.”
In context“The chemical coating is engineered to repel common garden pests without harming the plants themselves.”
UsageOften used in technical contexts regarding materials or fabrics.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
to make someone feel a strong sense of dislike or disgust.
to cause a feeling of strong aversion, distaste, or disgust in another person.
Simple“The violent scenes in the movie repelled many viewers.”
In context“His arrogant attitude and lack of empathy tended to repel potential business partners before negotiations could even begin.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
to push something away using a physical force, like magnets.
to exert a force on an object that tends to push it away; the opposite of attract.
Simple“The two positive ends of the magnets repel each other.”
In context“In electrostatics, particles with the same electric charge repel one another with a force proportional to the magnitude of the charges.”
Synonymspush awayAntonyms - 05 C1 Advanced
to refuse to accept a request or a suggestion.
to reject or refuse to accept a formal request, demand, or offer.
Simple“The committee repelled his suggestion to change the company logo.”
In context“The board of directors repelled the hostile takeover bid, citing a lack of transparency in the financing.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is quite formal; in everyday conversation, 'reject' or 'turn down' is much more common.
“Some microbiomes attracted the skeeters; others repelled them.”
“Because they have the same charge, they also repel each other.”
From Middle English repellen, a borrowing from Old French *repeller, from Latin repellere (“to drive back”), from re- (“back”) + pellere (“to drive”). Doublet of repeal.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.