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
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 Other vessels similarly have sent messages identifying their crews as Muslims or not affiliated with Israel to try and avoid rebel attacks. Jon Gambrell, Quartz, 22 Feb. 2024 Though plot details for the project have been kept tightly under wraps, December's initial trailer drop outlined a story involving the secession of 19 states, prompting an uptick in army activity and subsequent rebel tension. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 20 Feb. 2024 Neither the interviews with defectors nor those with prisoners were arranged by rebel groups. Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024 What is evident, say analysts, is that the junta is doing damage control, and hope for rebel victory – and postwar stability – rests on its opponents’ ability to continue cooperating. Aakash Hassan, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Feb. 2024 But popular unrest spiraled out of control soon after, which the military attempted to violently put down, setting off nationwide armed uprisings that have now combined with decades-old rebel groups to fight the junta. Reuters, NBC News, 1 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
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 While the Legislature’s hard-right members and some others have come out in favor of the new approach, a group of more traditional Republicans rebelled and sent a set of comprehensive budgets of agencies that included more funding, similar to ones approved in years past, to the House floor. Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 9 Feb. 2024 Both big parties look set on making a mistake, but there’s time to turn it around. Democrats on the ground are making a mistake in not rebelling against the inevitability of Joe Biden. Peggy Noonan, WSJ, 11 Jan. 2024 Her hair teased into Old Hollywood waves, this might signal an evolution in Pugh’s relationship with fashion: no longer rebelling against, but soaking in, the red carpet glamour. Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2024

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 19 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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