rebel

1 of 3

adjective

reb·​el ˈre-bəl How to pronounce rebel (audio)
1
a
: opposing or taking arms against a government or ruler
b
: of or relating to rebels
the rebel camp
2

rebel

2 of 3

noun

: one who rebels or participates in a rebellion

rebel

3 of 3

verb

re·​bel ri-ˈbel How to pronounce rebel (audio)
rebelled; rebelling

intransitive verb

1
a
: to oppose or disobey one in authority or control
b
: to renounce and resist by force the authority of one's government
2
a
: to act in or show opposition or disobedience
rebelled against the conventions of polite society
b
: to feel or exhibit anger or revulsion
rebelled at the injustice of life

Examples of rebel in a Sentence

Adjective today's rebel chefs feel free to ignore the dictates of classic French cuisine Noun The government captured six armed rebels. He was a rebel against the school administration. He is a typical teenage rebel. Verb When the government imposed more taxes, the people rebelled. The protesters are rebelling against the new tax law. Children often rebel against their parents.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Islamic State propaganda has railed against Russian President Vladimir Putin since Moscow intervened in Syria’s civil war in 2015, sending bomber aircraft and helicopters to attack rebel groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024 In an ironic twist, some of the rebel groups most notorious for narcotics production and smuggling are today taking credit for pushing out the scammers. TIME, 21 Mar. 2024 That campaign will take long hours as this tactical role-playing game has players building a rebel army from scratch. Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 Earlier this month, Guy Philippe, a rebel leader who was recently repatriated by the United States to Haiti after serving time for money laundering, called for a revolution. Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 In the suit, which was filed Tuesday in federal court in California, Carano alleges she was fired from her role as rebel warrior Cara Dune for voicing right-wing opinions on social media. Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2024 Back in 2013, there had been nearly a thousand rebel groups, an alphabet soup of acronyms. Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Since then, rebel groups created by Rwanda have backed major insurgencies, occupied large parts of Congo, and exploited its mineral wealth. Amel Mukhtar, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2024 An excerpt from the article reads; To be effective against this rebel group, the marines needed to adapt. Eric Tegler, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Noun
At times, amid the confusion, the characters can’t distinguish between rebels and patriots — as in a scene at an outdoor Winter Wonderland attraction, where soldiers try to take out a sniper. Peter Debruge, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024 When McCarthy nevertheless reached a deal with the Democrats, the Freedom Caucus rebels removed him. David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024 Iran long has denied arming the Houthis, likely because of a yearslong United Nations arms embargo on the rebels. Jon Gambrell, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 Iran is a key supporter of both Hamas in Gaza and the Houthi rebels. Brad Lendon, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 But most of the explosives are improvised, Sullivan said, and probably made with the help of former soldiers and guerrilla fighters from Colombia, where a 2016 peace deal between the government and the nation’s biggest rebel group, the FARC, left many combatants unemployed. Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Disagreements over spending ultimately led a band of rebels to oust McCarthy from the speakership in October. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters over the Israel-Hamas war. Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 6 Mar. 2024 The weapons were likely intended for Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have attacked dozens of commercial and military vessels in recent months, according to investigators. Robert Legare, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2024
Verb
Its success leads her to rebel, firstly through passionate love affairs with women and then by reclaiming her authorship. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2024 Aleksei’s time in the barracks and in training get intercut with the story of a Nigerian brother (Morr Ndiaye) and sister (Laetitia Ky) ]rebelling against what’s happening on the Niger Delta, a land relentlessly stripped of its resources and minerals by various countries. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024 The Slits were naked except for loincloths and covered in mud, not Noxzema, but there was still the idea that both bands wanted to rebel against stereotypical, hypersexualized notions of what women should look like on an album cover. Longreads, 16 Jan. 2024 The chain’s franchisees had long rebelled against the Subway’s famous $5 footlong deal because its slim profit margins hurt the individual locations and franchisees more than the company as whole. Angela L. Pagán, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 Many women rebelled by wearing elaborate head dresses. Chandelis Duster, CNN, 22 Feb. 2024 The constant attempts of exclusion turned sour for segregationists in 1811, when nearly 500 enslaved people and maroons assembled, strategized, and rebelled under the leadership of Charles Deslondes along the German Coast of Louisiana (25 miles upriver from New Orleans). Cierra Chenier, Essence, 12 Feb. 2024 The farmers are also rebelling against attempts by retailers and the government to bring down their prices to curb food inflation. William Booth, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2024 Certainly not gonna help convince the supe community not to rebel against humankind when that comes out. Alex Raiman, EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rebel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin rebellis, from re- + bellum war, from Old Latin duellum

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of rebel was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near rebel

Cite this Entry

“Rebel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rebel. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rebel

1 of 3 adjective
reb·​el ˈreb-əl How to pronounce rebel (audio)
1
: being or fighting against one's government or ruler
2
: not obeying

rebel

2 of 3 noun
: a person who refuses to give in to authority

rebel

3 of 3 verb
re·​bel ri-ˈbel How to pronounce rebel (audio)
rebelled; rebelling
1
: to be against or fight against authority and especially the authority of one's government
2
: to feel or show anger or strong dislike

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