/ rɪˈpel; NAmE / verb ( -ll- )
1.
[ vn ] ( formal ) to successfully fight sb who is attacking you, your country, etc. and drive them away :
to repel an attack / invasion / invader
Troops repelled an attempt to infiltrate the south of the island.
( figurative )
The reptile's prickly skin repels nearly all of its predators.
2.
[ vn ] to drive, push or keep sth away :
a cream that repels insects
The fabric has been treated to repel water.
3.
[ vn ] (not used in the progressive tenses) to make sb feel horror or disgust
SYN disgust , repulse :
I was repelled by the smell.
4.
( technical ) if one thing repels another, or if two things repel each other, an electrical or magnetic force pushes them apart :
[ vn ]
Like poles repel each other.
[also v ]
OPP attract
—see also repulsion , repulsive
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Latin repellere , from re- back + pellere to drive.