re·pel ( r¹-pµl") v. re·pelled re·pel·ling re·pels v. tr. 1. To ward off or keep away; drive back: repel insects. 2. To offer resistance to; fight against: repel an invasion. 3. To refuse to accept; reject: a company that was trying to repel a hostile takeover. 4. To turn away from; spurn. 5. To cause aversion or distaste in: Her rudeness repels everyone. See note at disgust . See note at repulse . 6. To be resistant to; be incapable of absorbing or mixing with: Oil repels water. 7. Physics To present an opposing force to; push back or away by a force: Electric charges of the same sign repel one another. v. intr. 1. To offer a resistant force to something. 2. To cause aversion or distaste: behavior that repels. [Middle English repellen from Old French repeller from Latin repellere re- re- pellere to drive; See pel- 5 in Indo-European Roots.] re·pel "ler n.

re·pulse ( r¹-p¾ls") v. tr. re·pulsed re·puls·ing re·puls·es 1. To drive back; repel. 2. To rebuff or reject with rudeness, coldness, or denial. 3. Usage Problem To cause repugnance or distaste in. n. 1. The act of repulsing or the state of being repulsed. 2. Rejection; refusal. [Middle English repulsen from Latin repellere repuls-; See repel ] re·puls "er n.

Usage Note: A number of critics have maintained that repulse should only be used to mean " to drive away, spurn, " as in He rudely repulsed their overtures, and not to mean " to cause repulsion in, " as in Their hypocrisy repulsed me. In recent years, however, there has been an increasing tendency to use repulse in the sense " cause repulsion in. " Reputable literary precedent exists for this usage, and the confusion is understandable, given that the stigmatized use of repulse is parallel to the unexceptionable uses of repulsion and repulsive. Still, writers who want to stay on the safe side may prefer to use only repel when the intended sense is " cause repulsion in. "