rebel 1 of 3

adjective

ˈre-bəl How to pronounce rebel (audio)
Definition of rebelnext
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control today's rebel chefs feel free to ignore the dictates of classic French cuisine

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rebel

2 of 3

noun

as in insurgent
a person who rises up against authority the rebel would not submit peacefully, even after he was captured

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rebel

3 of 3

verb

ri-ˈbel How to pronounce rebel (audio)
as in to revolt
to rise up against established authority the colonists rebelled in the wake of an onslaught of abuses

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rebel
Adjective
Yesterday’s punk, grunge, and rebel-outsider upstarts have an uncanny way of evolving into today’s elder statesmen of respectable infamy. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026 Assad fled the capital Damascus as rebel fighters closed in nearly two years ago, and is currently in Russia, where he and his family were granted asylum on humanitarian grounds. — Kinda Makieh, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
Noun
The fun way to approach this premise would be to focus on the rebels. — Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026 Three Houthi military sources and a spokesman for the Yemeni government forces battling them near the waterway also told AFP the rebels are planning to advance south from their current territory. — August 20, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
Verb
That year, Indian soldiers serving the British East India Company rebelled against the British commanding officers, killing many of them and sparking an uprising that spread rapidly across much of northern India. — Aishwarya Lakshmi, The Conversation, 18 Aug. 2026 Overnight, this 54-year-old Southern Californian began dealing with acid reflux, random bloating, constipation, and a rebelling digestive system that suddenly despised her favorite foods. — Cheryl Fenton, Flow Space, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rebel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebel
  1. rebellious
  2. insurgent
  3. revolt
  4. defiant
  5. revolutionary
  6. mutiny
Adjective
  • Andrew Garfield is not just a rebellious peasant in his upcoming action period drama.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Green and Perry starred alongside one another on the hit Fox series, in which Green portrayed the aspiring musician David Silver while Perry starred as the rebellious Dylan McKay, for 10 years from 1990 to 2000.
    — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of rebellious
Noun
  • The insecurity landscape is also more chaotic because some groups, after initially being invited to help defend against insurgents, turned into terrorists, said Dengiyefa Angalapu, an analyst at the Center for Democracy and Development in Abuja.
    — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The intervention underscores Russia’s new role as protector of military regimes across the Sahel, where Africa Corps has replaced Wagner and prioritizes keeping juntas in power over battling insurgent groups.
    — Chinedu Asadu, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of insurgent
Verb
  • Brands that want to reduce the likelihood of publishing content consumers will revolt against should turn their attention to their marketing infrastructure.
    — Sonia Thompson, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • When Puck acquired Air Mail, the media company founded by former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, the latter’s luxury advertisers revolted.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of revolt
Adjective
  • Captured after years on the run and sentenced to life in 2017, Mladic remained defiant and unrepentant, still revered by some Serbs as a nationalist hero.
    — Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Bringing it on board with the White House’s latest effort to subdue an Iranian leadership stubbornly defiant after almost six months of war, however, is an extremely tall order.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of defiant
Noun
  • Centrist Democrats are not socialists, not revolutionaries, and not disposed to blame Zionist conspiracies for every trouble in American life, including police brutality and urban gentrification.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 19 Aug. 2026
  • To make matters worse, ten days later, revolutionaries stormed the Bastille.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of revolutionary
Verb
  • In 1841, John Quincy Adams, a President turned congressman and Supreme Court advocate, appeared before the Court, seeking the freedom of people kidnapped from Africa who mutinied en route to America on the slave ship Amistad.
    — Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 2 July 2026
  • Which is why the elites will mutiny even before the army does - out of fear.
    — Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of mutiny

Phrases Containing rebel

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rebates
rebel
rebel (against)
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Cite this Entry

“Rebel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebel. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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