repealed; repealing; repeals
1
: to rescind or annul by authoritative act
especially
: to revoke or abrogate by legislative enactment
3
obsolete
: to summon to return : recall
repeal
noun
Examples of repeal in a Sentence
the company called the furniture store to repeal the order for six new desks
in 1933, Congress passed the 21st Amendment which repealed the Prohibition Amendment of 1919, thus making the sale, distribution, and use of alcohol legal once again
Recent Examples on the Web
New York was in the process of repealing many of the punitive drug laws that were passed under Governor Nelson Rockefeller in the nineteen-seventies.
—
Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Meanwhile, Sánchez promised to repeal those laws.
—Arkansas Online, 16 May 2026
Some countries, such as Sweden, repealed them to become more financially competitive, while others, like France, found that the superwealthy were moving their assets to other countries.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
Out of those, nine states, including Virginia—the state with the most existing data centers—have considered bills to completely repeal their data center tax incentives.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for repeal
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Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Meanwhile, Sánchez promised to repeal those laws.
—Arkansas Online, 16 May 2026
Some countries, such as Sweden, repealed them to become more financially competitive, while others, like France, found that the superwealthy were moving their assets to other countries.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
Out of those, nine states, including Virginia—the state with the most existing data centers—have considered bills to completely repeal their data center tax incentives.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for repeal
Cite this Entry
“Repeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repeal. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
repeal
verb
re·peal
ri-ˈpē(ə)l 
: to do away with especially by legislative action
repeal a law
repeal
noun
Legal Definition
repeal
transitive verb
re·peal
ri-ˈpēl
: to rescind or annul by authoritative act
especially
: to revoke or abrogate by legislative enactment
legislatures repealing statutes in light of a recent Supreme Court decision
repeal
noun
Etymology
Anglo-French repeler, from Old French, from re- back + apeler to appeal, call, from Latin appellare to address, entreat, call by name
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