repulses 1 of 2

noun

plural of repulse
as in rebuffs
treatment that is deliberately unfriendly the waiter's incredibly rude repulse of our polite request for a better table—one that wasn't right next to the kitchen—prompted us to walk out

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

repulses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of repulse
1
as in disgusts
to cause to feel disgust the smell of that town's paper mill totally repulses me

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2
as in repels
to drive back the defense repeatedly repulsed all of the offense's attempts to move the ball forward, keeping them firmly planted on the 20-yard line

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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 repulses
Verb
Her widowed aunt plays chaperone as Susanna attends heady lectures and repulses her many suitors. — Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026 Sigmund Freud believed that every crush has a strand of disgust, that people are attracted to what repulses them. — Daniel Felsenthal, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026 Charlie, though, is trying to keep them out of a country that thoroughly repulses him. — Alexander Nazaryan, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repulses
  1. dismissals
  2. disgusts
  3. repels
  4. snubs
  5. sickens
  6. resists
  7. rejections
Noun
  • This came after the company fired three safety and alignment researchers, though OpenAI said the dismissals were not tied to employees voicing safety concerns.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Only 14 cases led to suspensions and seven to expulsions or dismissals.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of dismissals
Verb
  • That’s what really disgusts me.
    — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
Definition of disgusts
Verb
  • The wax repels liquid water but keeps tiny pores, so vapor can still escape.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Oct. 2026
  • This natural pest control spray keeps roaches, stink bugs, spiders, ants, centipedes, crickets, and tons of other bugs away thanks to its strong scent that repels them without harsh chemicals.
    — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of repels
Noun
  • As his son Charles recounts in Swan Song, when Diana considered calling off her wedding to Prince Charles after suffering various snubs from the heir to the throne, Count Spencer flatly rejected his youngest daughter’s idea.
    — Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Its complete omission from the 2026 Latin Grammy nominations was one of the most notable snubs on Wednesday morning.
    — Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of snubs
Verb
  • Domoic acid is a toxin produced by algae and typically sickens animals that feed on open-ocean fish.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Alcohol kills 178,000 Americans each year and sickens countless more.
    — Lev Facher, STAT, 12 May 2026
Definition of sickens
Verb
  • An unskilled crew can raise a structural shell in weeks instead of months, and the finished building resists fire, mold, and Category 5 hurricane winds.
    — Joe Mullich, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The researchers also focused on reducing the robot’s effective inertia, a property that describes how strongly an object resists changes in its motion.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of resists
Noun
  • The court has deferred a decision on the lease and sublease rejections until a hearing Wednesday.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Proposals that could affect the budget were denied, according to the union, with many rejections coming at the last minute.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of rejections

Browse Nearby Words

repulsed
repulses
repulsing
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Cite this Entry

“Repulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repulses. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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