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[noun, adjective reb-uh l; verb ri-bel] /noun, adjective ˈrɛb əl; verb rɪˈbɛl/
a person who refuses allegiance to, resists, or rises in arms against the government or ruler of his or her country.
a person who resists any authority, control, or tradition.
rebellious; defiant.
of or relating to rebels.
verb (used without object), rebel, rebelled, rebelling.
to reject, resist, or rise in arms against one's government or ruler.
to resist or rise against some authority, control, or tradition.
to show or feel utter repugnance:
His very soul rebelled at spanking the child.
Origin of rebel
1250-1300; (adj.) Middle English < Old French rebelle < Latin rebellis renewing a war, equivalent to re- re- + bell(um) war + -is adj. suffix; (v.) Middle English rebellen (< Old French rebeller) < Latin rebellāre; (noun) Middle English rebel, derivative of the adj.
Related forms
rebellike, adjective
nonrebel, noun, adjective
prorebel, adjective
semirebel, noun
1. insurrectionist, mutineer, traitor. 1, 3. insurgent. 3. mutinous. 5. revolt, mutiny. Unabridged
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British Dictionary definitions for rebel


verb (rɪˈbɛl) -bels, -belling, -belled (intransitive) often foll by against
to resist or rise up against a government or other authority, esp by force of arms
to dissent from an accepted moral code or convention of behaviour, dress, etc
to show repugnance (towards)
noun (ˈrɛbəl)
  1. a person who rebels
  2. (as modifier): a rebel soldier, a rebel leader
a person who dissents from some accepted moral code or convention of behaviour, dress, etc
Derived Forms
rebeldom, noun
Word Origin
C13: from Old French rebelle, from Latin rebellis insurgent, from re- + bellum war
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for rebel







Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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A white Southerner (1862+)

Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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