rebel 1 of 3

rebel

2 of 3

noun

rebel

3 of 3

verb

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
In January, the conflict sharply escalated, as Rwandan troops and their M23 rebel allies took control of Bukavu and Goma, the biggest city in eastern Congo. Jason K. Stearns, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025 Her character evolves throughout the series from a superficial adherent to the Capitol’s cruel system to a rebel sympathizer who comes to care deeply for Katniss and Peeta, representing the potential for change even among those benefiting from oppression. 10. Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 19 Mar. 2025
Noun
Pro-democracy rebel groups fighting to remove the military from power also reported aerial bombings in Chang-U township in northwest Sagaing, near the epicenter of the quake, according to the BBC. Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2025 The Atlantic this week published editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg’s account of being mistakenly added to a Signal group chat with top Trump administration figures, in which Hegseth shared detailed attack plans on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 29 Mar. 2025
Verb
Major stock indexes have erased their post-electoral gains, as investors rebel against the prospect of higher costs. Carlo Angerer, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2025 This is not the first time Kidman has played a woman rebelling against the gilded confines of her existence, so the actress delivers a reliably fine performance. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rebel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebel
Adjective
  • And if his readership remained informed on his doings, the prince and his supporters didn’t succeed in silencing him and the rest of the rebellious faction.
    Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Wearing cowboy boots with shorts is not only a bold stylistic choice but also a practical way to dress for warm weather without giving up the rustic and rebellious touch that the boots bring.
    René Chávez Esparza, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The sniper gun is peering through an eight-inch-wide hole blasted into the wall, and the insurgents, having figured out that the Americans are in there, toss a grenade through the hole.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Warfare plots, in real time, a surveillance mission in Ramadi gone awry when nearby Al Qaeda insurgents detonate a series of IEDs outside a housing building which the team has taken over.
    Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • In an alt-history America where robots revolted against man, the sci-fi adventure centers on an ex-soldier (Pratt) and a teen (Brown) looking for her brother who team up with a bunch of mechanical mascots to thwart a villainous tech magnate (Stanley Tucci).
    Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Like now, parents revolted against this proposal, seeing it as an attempt to weaken private schools and impede their ability to operate.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • More: China defiant, accuses Trump of 'blackmail' over 104% tariff threat: Live updates On Monday, Trump described similar negotiations underway with Japan as world leaders try to convince the U.S. president to roll back his new tariffs on all imports.
    Joey Garrison, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
  • What To Know Trump has remained defiant despite mounting fears of recession and a plunging stock market.
    John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • What makes this revolutionary isn't the technical sophistication – the components are reasonably standard web technologies – but rather the standardization itself.
    Craig S. Smith, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Young men who, in earlier generations, would have become rabbis now hope to become professors or revolutionaries.
    Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • In June 2023, the group mutinied and marched on Moscow before then leader Yevgeny Prigozhin negotiated a deal with the Kremlin.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Meanwhile, any question that Jod and Captain Silvo (the pirate whose crew mutinied in the series premiere) are one and the same was dismissed, when Brutus and his crew spoke of how Silvo had escaped the brig before facing a trial.
    Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 10 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Rebel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebel. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

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