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repel
[ ri-pel ]
verb (used with object)
- to drive or force back (an assailant, invader, etc.).
Antonyms: attract
- 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 ( attract ):
The north pole of one magnet will repel the north pole of another.
verb (used without object)
- to act with a force that drives or keeps away something.
- to cause distaste or aversion.
repel
/ rɪˈpɛl /
verb
- 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
Usage
Derived Forms
- reˈpeller, noun
Other Words From
- re·pellence re·pellen·cy noun
- re·peller noun
- re·pelling·ly adverb
- re·pelling·ness noun
- nonre·pellence noun
- nonre·pellen·cy noun
- nonre·peller noun
- self-re·pellen·cy noun
- unre·pelled adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of repel1
Example Sentences
This desperation, rather than repelling me, became a source of connection.
To me, it speaks to the elitism and shallowness of the trio that they are repelled by folks who are not as upscale as they are — they are repelled by “the great unwashed.”
The French say their teams have become more adept at reaching dinghies and destroying them in the dunes, but the migrants try to repel the police with missiles until they've launched.
It is an image that sums up the diplomatic position for Zelensky and his relationship with - until now at least - his superpower sponsor in trying to repel Russia.
While many were repelled, emergency services reported drone strikes causing destruction and fires in several regions overnight.
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