repel

To repel is defined as to hold off, refuse to accept or reject.

(verb)

See repel in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb repelled, repelling

to drive or force back; hold or ward off: to repel an attack
to refuse to accept, agree to, or submit to; reject: to repel advances
to refuse to accept (a person); spurn: to repel a suitor
1. to cause distaste or dislike in; disgust: the odor repelled him
2. to cause (insects, etc.) to react by staying away
1. to be resistant to, or present an opposing force to: a coating that repels moisture
2. to fail to mix with or adhere to: water repels oil

Origin: ME repellen < L repellere, to drive back < re-, back + pellere, to drive: see pulse

intransitive verb

Related Forms:

See repel in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb re·pelled, re·pel·ling, re·pels

verb, transitive

To ward off or keep away; drive back: repel insects.
To offer resistance to; fight against: repel an invasion.
To refuse to accept; reject: a company that was trying to repel a hostile takeover.
To turn away from; spurn.
To cause aversion or distaste in: Your rudeness repels everyone. See Synonyms at disgust. See Usage Note at repulse.
To be resistant to; be incapable of absorbing or mixing with: Oil repels water.
Physics To present an opposing force to; push back or away by a force: Electric charges of the same sign repel one another.