re•pel
Pronunciation: (ri-pel'), [key]
— v., -pelled, -pel•ling.
—v.t.
- to drive or force back (an assailant, invader, etc.).
- to thrust back or away.
- to resist effectively (an attack, onslaught, etc.).
- to keep off or out; fail to mix with: Water and oil repel each other.
- to resist the absorption or passage of (water or other liquid): This coat repels rain.
- to refuse to have to do with; resist involvement in: to repel temptation.
- to refuse to accept or admit; reject: to repel a suggestion.
- to discourage the advances of (a person): He repelled me with his harshness.
- to cause distaste or aversion in: Their untidy appearance repelled us.
- to push back or away by a force, as one body acting upon another (opposed to attract): The north pole of one magnet will repel the north pole of another.
—v.i.
- to act with a force that drives or keeps away something.
- to cause distaste or aversion.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.