Wiktionary

repulse

See also: repulsé

English

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin repulsus, from repellere (“to drive back”), from re- (“back”) + pellere (“to drive”).

For spelling, as in pulse, the -e (on -lse) is so the end is pronounced /ls/, rather than /lz/ as in pulls, and does not change the vowel (‘u’). Compare else, false, convulse.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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repulse (third-person singular simple present repulses, present participle repulsing, simple past and past participle repulsed)

  1. (transitive) To repel or drive back.
    to repulse an assault; to repulse the enemy
    • 1939 December 5, J. W. Studebaker, Democracy Shall Not Be Plowed Under‎[1], page 9:
      If we fail to repulse the enemy within the gates--unemployment, poverty, disorganized agriculture and the like--from whence may we expect the united strength and clear purpose to repulse any outside force?
  2. (transitive) To reject or rebuff.
    to repulse a suitor
    • 1850, T. S. Arthur, “Happy on a Little”, in Sketches of Life and Character‎[2], Philadelphia: J. W. Bradley, →OCLC, page 89:
      At the end of a week, she could bear the suspense no longer, and so went humbly to her old home and sought forgiveness. She was not repulsed, but her reception was cold; and this hurt her almost as badly.
  3. (transitive) To cause revulsion in.
    The smell of rotting food repulsed me.
    I find your conduct reprehensible, disgusting, and it repulses me, the way a mongoose repulses a snake.

Translations

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Noun

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repulse (plural repulses)

  1. the act of repulsing or the state of being repulsed
  2. refusal, rejection or repulsion
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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Italian

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Etymology 1

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Verb

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repulse

  1. third-person singular past historic of repellere

Etymology 2

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Participle

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repulse f pl

  1. feminine plural of repulso

Noun

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repulse

  1. plural of repulso

Anagrams

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Latin

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Participle

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repulse

  1. vocative masculine singular of repulsus

Spanish

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Verb

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repulse

  1. inflection of repulsar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative
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