Meaning & use
repulse
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To make someone feel strong disgust or dislike.
Grammar: Takes a person as object: the smell repulsed him.
Patterns
- repulse someone
The smell of the rotten food repulsed everyone in the kitchen.
She was repulsed by the cruelty in the video.
The idea of eating insects repulses him.
verbtransitivemilitary
To drive back an attacking force.
Grammar: Takes an attacker as object: repulse the enemy.
Patterns
- repulse an attack
- repulse the enemy
The defenders repulsed the first assault on the fort.
The army repulsed the invasion at the border.
They repulsed several attacks during the night.
verbtransitiveformal
To refuse an offer or advances coldly and firmly.
Grammar: Takes an object such as an offer: repulse an advance.
Patterns
- repulse someone's advances
She repulsed his clumsy attempts at friendship.
The company repulsed the takeover offer.
nounsingularmilitary
An act of driving back an attack, or a firm refusal.
Grammar: Often used as a repulse of an attack.
Patterns
- the repulse of something
The repulse of the attack saved the town.
His kind offer met with a cold repulse.
Word forms
| third person singular | repulses |
|---|---|
| past tense | repulsed |
| past participle | repulsed |
| -ing form | repulsing |
Common combinations
- repulse an attack
- The soldiers repulsed an attack on the bridge.
- repulse the enemy
- Troops worked to repulse the enemy.
- feel repulsed
- I felt repulsed by the behavior.
- repulsed by
- He was repulsed by the idea.
- repulse advances
- She repulsed his advances politely but firmly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- disgust
- Disgust is the common everyday word and has no military meaning.
- repel
- Repel is the closer word for both disgusting and driving back, but repulse is more formal and forceful.
- rebuff
- Rebuff means to reject sharply and is used for requests or advances.
- repulsive
- Repulsive is the adjective form for something that disgusts, while repulse is the action.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: repulse or repel? repulse or revulse?
repulse vs repel
Repel is the more common verb for pushing away, as in repel insects, while repulse is stronger and more formal.
repulse vs revulse
Revulse is rare, and repulse is the usual verb for disgusting someone.
Practice
The defenders managed to ___ the attack before dawn.
Choose one answer.
Repulse an attack means to drive it back. The other verbs have unrelated meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “repulse”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.