repulse

1 of 2

verb

re·​pulse ri-ˈpəls How to pronounce repulse (audio)
repulsed; repulsing

transitive verb

1
: to drive or beat back : repel
2
: to repel by discourtesy, coldness, or denial
3
: to cause repulsion in

repulse

2 of 2

noun

1
2
: the action of repelling an attacker : the fact of being repelled

Examples of repulse in a Sentence

Verb The troops repulsed the attack. I was repulsed by the movie's violence. The moldy bread repulsed him. He repulsed all attempts to help him. Noun the waiter's incredibly rude repulse of our polite request for a better table—one that wasn't right next to the kitchen—prompted us to walk out
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Sunny Hostin asked, looking visibly repulsed by the idea. EW.com, 14 Nov. 2023 The eggs don’t look appetizing anymore, in fact, you’re repulsed by them. Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2024 Sydney Sweeney was just as repulsed by that Euphoria vomit scene as viewers — including her own family The season 2 scene featured Sweeney’s character, Cassie, vomiting violently in a hot tub. Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 26 Jan. 2024 The Washington Post As a child, for reasons probably obvious only to Dr. Freud, I was repulsed by raw eggs. M. Carrie Allan, Charlotte Observer, 29 Jan. 2024 Yet returning to a stodgier variety of GOP conservatism could repulse many working-class newcomers. George Hawley, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024 The onslaught was repulsed by a combination of warships and fighter jets. Abigail Hauslohner, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2024 The truth is that most voters appear to be repulsed by extreme right politics of this sort. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2024 Republican voters made an informed decision to ignore the warning signs indicating that Trump’s presence on the ballot would repulse soft Republicans and nonaligned voters. Noah Rothman, National Review, 22 Jan. 2024
Noun
But many foresee a protracted, bitter conflict, particularly in the country’s east as Russian forces retrench after the humiliating repulse of their advance on Kyiv. Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2022 Stories about chemical and biological weapons are often oversold, for the same reason stories of cannibalistic serial killers are: Peculiar forms of murder repulse and excite us, and old-fashioned forms do not. Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2021 Yet Mr Trump’s decision to change course represents neither a disastrous retreat nor a major moral repulse. The Economist, 23 June 2018 After another great inwash of Hispanics, peaking during the late 1990s at around 750,000 arrivals a year, a repulse was inevitable. The Economist, 18 Jan. 2018 Fog stalled airborne reinforcements to British forces at Arnhem in 1944, contributing to the German repulse of a major Allied initiative. Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, 18 Oct. 2017 Valerian wheezes to a close and then gives us a sloppy, oafish grin, one that, much like an ugly dog, both endears and repulses. Jillian Selzer, Cosmopolitan, 24 July 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'repulse.' 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

Verb

Middle English repulsen "to hold back, drive away," probably in part borrowed from Latin repulsus, past participle of repellere "to push away, drive back, fend off," in part borrowed from Middle French repulser "to drive back, put an end to," borrowed from Latin repulsāre "to drive back, repudiate," frequentative of repellere — more at repel

Noun

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, "action of pushing back, rejection," borrowed in part from Latin repulsa "electoral defeat, check, rebuff" (noun derivative from feminine of repulsus, past participle of repellere "to push away, drive back, fend off"), in part from repulsus "action of forcing back," verbal noun from repellere — more at repel

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of repulse was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near repulse

Cite this Entry

“Repulse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repulse. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

repulse

1 of 2 verb
re·​pulse ri-ˈpəls How to pronounce repulse (audio)
repulsed; repulsing
1
: to drive or beat back : repel
repulse an attack
2
: to cause dislike or disgust in

repulse

2 of 2 noun
1
: a cold unfriendly rejection
2
: the action of driving back an attacker

More from Merriam-Webster on repulse

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