Meaning & use
repelled
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“repelled” is a form of “repel”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Pushed back or forced away an attacker, an invader, or something unwanted so that it could not get close.
Grammar: Takes an object: the guards repelled the raiders.
Patterns
- repel something
- repel an attack
The defenders repelled the first wave of attackers at the gate.
A thick coat of wax repelled the rain from the tent.
Her firm tone repelled any further questions.
verbtransitive
Made someone feel strong dislike or disgust, so that they wanted to move away from something.
Grammar: Usually passive or with a person as the object: the smell repelled him.
Patterns
- repel someone
- be repelled by something
The sight of the spoiled food repelled everyone in the kitchen.
She was repelled by his rude manner and left early.
Many diners were repelled by the dirty tables.
verbtransitive or intransitivephysics
Pushed apart from each other through an invisible force, as happens with matching magnetic poles or electric charges.
Grammar: Can take an object or stand alone: the two magnets repelled each other; like poles repelled.
Patterns
- repel each other
The two north poles repelled each other, and the magnets slid apart.
Charged particles of the same sign repelled one another in the experiment.
Word forms
| base form | repel |
|---|---|
| third person singular | repels |
| -ing form | repelling |
Common combinations
- repelled an attack
- The small garrison repelled an attack that lasted all night.
- repelled by the smell
- The children were repelled by the smell of the old cheese.
- repelled insects
- The lotion repelled insects for several hours.
- repelled each other
- The magnets repelled each other whenever she turned one around.
- felt repelled
- He felt repelled by the cruelty in the story.
Synonyms and how they differ
- repulsed
- Repulsed is used mainly for the disgust sense and sounds stronger and more personal than repelled.
- disgusted
- Disgusted describes the feeling itself, whereas repelled also suggests wanting to pull away.
- fended off
- Fended off is more informal and fits defending yourself from a blow, a question or an attacker.
- drove back
- Drove back suits armies and crowds being physically pushed away, and is less common for feelings.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: repelled or repulsed? repelled or rebelled?
repelled vs repulsed
Repulsed is nearly the same in the disgust sense, but repelled is the normal word for pushing away attackers and for magnets.
repelled vs rebelled
Rebelled means refused to obey authority; it only sounds similar to repelled.
Practice
The two magnets ______ each other when she pushed the same ends together.
Choose one answer.
Same magnetic poles push apart, so repelled fits. Attracted is the opposite, and repealed is a different word that means to cancel a law.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “repelled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.