repel
To push something away or drive it back, or to make someone feel disgusted.
repel in a sentence
- The knight's shield repelled every arrow the goblins fired at him.
- This lemony spray is meant to repel midges and keep them away from the tent.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to repel?
- Awelcome
- Bpush
- Cattract
- Dinvite
Show the answer
B: push. The other three mean the opposite of repel.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to repel?
- Aattract
- Bpush
- Cresist
- Dblock
Show the answer
A: attract. The other three mean nearly the same as repel.
Words that mean something similar
push, block, resist
Words that mean the opposite
attract, invite, welcome
More words about movement & action
- restrain: To hold someone or something back.
- retreat: To move back or away, especially from danger.
- retrieve: To go and get something back.
- revolt: To rise up and fight against the people in charge.
- rigid: Stiff and impossible to bend, or very strict.
- roam: To wander around freely with no fixed plan.
- ruffle: To make something messy or to upset someone slightly.
- rummage: To search for something by moving things around in a messy way.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test