Word.ws English Dictionary

repelled

repelled is the simple past and past participle of repel.

Meaning of repel

Verb

repel (third-person singular simple present repels, present participle repelling, simple past and past participle repelled)

  1. (archaic, transitive) To turn (someone) away from a privilege, right, job, etc.
    • It is some satisfaction to him that is repelled, that dignities, honours, offices, are not alwayes given by desert or worth, but for love, affinitie, friendship, affection, great mens letters, or as commonly they are bought and sold.1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition II...
  2. (transitive) To reject, put off (a request, demand etc.).
  3. (transitive) To ward off (a malignant influence, attack etc.).
  4. (transitive) To drive back (an assailant, advancing force etc.).
    • In nearby Zintan, rebels repelled an advance by Gaddafi's forces, killing eight and taking one prisoner, a local activist said.2011 May 19, Ian Traynor, The Guardian
  5. (transitive) To force away by means of a repulsive force.
  6. (transitive) To cause repulsion or dislike in; to disgust.
    • However, while the idea of a free holiday appeals enormously, I am frankly repelled by the idea of spending a couple of weeks in your company.2008 January 26, The Guardian

See all 7 meanings of repel

Questions about repelled

What is repelled the simple past and past participle of?
Repelled is the simple past and past participle of repel.

Words near repelled in the dictionary

  1. repellable
  2. repellancy
  3. repellant
  4. repellantly
  5. repellants
  6. repelled
  7. repellence
  8. repellences
  9. repellencies
  10. repellency
  11. repellent

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: repelled (page history and authors); repel (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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