REBELS Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

rebels 1 of 2

noun

plural of rebel

as in insurgents

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

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rebels

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of rebel

as in revolts

to rise up against established authority the colonists rebelled in the wake of an onslaught of abuses

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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 rebels

Noun

Al-Sharaa ousted President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 in an offensive led by HTS rebels. — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026 The designation remained throughout the rule of his son Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled by rebels led by current President Ahmed al-Sharaa in December 2024. — Reuters, NBC news, 24 Aug. 2026 The deal came as Washington increased pressure on neighboring Rwanda over its support for M23 rebels, a dynamic analysts say may help explain Congo’s willingness to cooperate. — Mark Banchereau, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026 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 The 11-year-old Batisa said his parents and two of his brothers were killed in an attack by Congolese rebels. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026 My eight women are divided into wanderers, rebels, explorers, and mentors. — Anne E. Fernald, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026 Tehran gave its full support to the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, which rebels who were backed by Ankara and Riyadh overthrew in 2024. — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026

Verb

Masahiro Motoki — the Oscar-winning star of Departures — plays a lord who rebels against warlord Oda Nobunaga and barricades himself inside Arioka Castle, only to face a string of unsolved murders within its walls. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026 Set against the backdrop of the 1998 São Paulo World Cup between Brazil and France, Amarela follows 14-year-old Erika Oguihara (Melissa Uehara), a Japanese Brazilian sports fanatic who rebels against her family’s more Japanese cultural traditions. — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2026 As the professor navigates retirement, the baby grows into a rambunctious child who rebels against the traditions of her fishing community. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebels

Noun

Israel, meanwhile, has remained suspicious of the new authorities in Damascus, led by former Islamist insurgents.

— Andrew Wilks, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2026
In both races, the two incumbents faced insurgents who ran under the democratic socialist banner with campaigns that emphasized universal health care, cost-of-living concerns and opposition to Israel.

— Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of insurgents

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