repel: Meaning and Definition of

re•pel

Pronunciation: (ri-pel'), [key]
— v., -pelled, -pel•ling.
—v.t.
  1. to drive or force back (an assailant, invader, etc.).
  2. to thrust back or away.
  3. to resist effectively (an attack, onslaught, etc.).
  4. to keep off or out; fail to mix with: Water and oil repel each other.
  5. to resist the absorption or passage of (water or other liquid): This coat repels rain.
  6. to refuse to have to do with; resist involvement in: to repel temptation.
  7. to refuse to accept or admit; reject: to repel a suggestion.
  8. to discourage the advances of (a person): He repelled me with his harshness.
  9. to cause distaste or aversion in: Their untidy appearance repelled us.
  10. to push back or away by a force, as one body acting upon another (opposed to attract): The north pole of one magnet will repel the north pole of another.
—v.i.
  1. to act with a force that drives or keeps away something.
  2. to cause distaste or aversion.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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