I. reb ‧ el 1 /ˈreb ə l/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Origin: rebel 'rebellious' (13-21 centuries) , from Old French rebelle , from Latin , from bellum 'war' ]
1 . someone who opposes or fights against people in authority:
Anti-government rebels attacked the town.
rebel forces/soldiers
the rebel leader
2 . someone who refuses to do things in the normal way, or in the way that other people want them to:
Alex has always been a bit of a rebel.
II. re ‧ bel 2 /rɪˈbel/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle rebelled , present participle rebelling ) [intransitive]
1 . to oppose or fight against someone in authority or against an idea or situation which you do not agree with
rebel against
teenage boys rebelling against their parents
2 . written if your stomach, legs, mind etc rebel, you cannot do or believe something you think you should:
He knew he ought to eat, but his stomach rebelled.