as in insurgents
a person who rises up against authority
the rebel would not submit peacefully, even after he was captured
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in revolts
to rise up against established authority
the colonists rebelled in the wake of an onslaught of abuses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rebels
Jp Mangalindan, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
The proceeds from the arms sales were then used to fund right-wing, anti-communist rebels, known as the Contras, in Nicaragua.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
African states, too, have started hiring Russian, Turkish, Romanian, and South African private military companies (PMCs) to battle insurgencies, to deploy drones against jihadists, and to reclaim resource-rich areas taken over by rebels.
—Alia Brahimi, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
North was convicted in 1989 on three felony charges for helping to arrange the illicit sale of weapons to Iran and divert the proceeds to fund a secret war against anti-communist Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
North was part of the twin schemes to sell weapons to Iran and then use proceeds to fund anti-communist rebels, known as the Contras, in Nicaragua.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
There has been concern about the cables being targeted in a Red Sea campaign by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, which the rebels describe as an effort to pressure Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
The New York Times in 2015 reported that hundreds of Colombian mercenaries had been sent to Yemen to fight against the Houthi rebels, hired directly — and in secret — by the UAE.
—Rebecca Johns, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
Rather than taking comfort in this counsel, Shinhye rebels against it.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
By the finale, the galactic chessboard is crowded with players—emperors, rebels, prophets, impostors—but as Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) warned in the very first episode, the center cannot hold.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
The proceeds from the arms sales were then used to fund right-wing, anti-communist rebels, known as the Contras, in Nicaragua.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
African states, too, have started hiring Russian, Turkish, Romanian, and South African private military companies (PMCs) to battle insurgencies, to deploy drones against jihadists, and to reclaim resource-rich areas taken over by rebels.
—Alia Brahimi, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
North was convicted in 1989 on three felony charges for helping to arrange the illicit sale of weapons to Iran and divert the proceeds to fund a secret war against anti-communist Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
North was part of the twin schemes to sell weapons to Iran and then use proceeds to fund anti-communist rebels, known as the Contras, in Nicaragua.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
There has been concern about the cables being targeted in a Red Sea campaign by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, which the rebels describe as an effort to pressure Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
The New York Times in 2015 reported that hundreds of Colombian mercenaries had been sent to Yemen to fight against the Houthi rebels, hired directly — and in secret — by the UAE.
—Rebecca Johns, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
Rather than taking comfort in this counsel, Shinhye rebels against it.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebels
Noun
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This might enable a mission which, for example, a Viper is located covertly next to a safe house known to be used by insurgents.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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The state Republicans have routinely witnessed battles between far-right insurgents who in recent years have complained the party isn’t Trumpy enough and the financial institutional wing that has long been the GOP establishment and funded the party for decades.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But Anderson also knows that the moral purity of revolutionaries gets boring pretty fast.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
18 Sep. 2025
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Based on Thomas Pynchon's 1990 novel Vineland, the thriller focuses on a group of ex-revolutionaries who reunite to face an enemy resurfacing after 16 years.—
Jen Juneau,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rebels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebels. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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