Definition

1. Noun:

   • A person who resists or defies authority, control, or tradition: A "rebel" is someone who refuses to obey rules or accept normal standards of behavior, dress, etc., often as a form of protest.
   • A person who fights against a government or ruler: A "rebel" is someone who participates in an armed uprising against an established authority.

2. Verb (pronounced /rɪˈbel/):

   • To resist or fight against authority or control: To "rebel" means to oppose or refuse to obey someone in authority, a government, or a set of rules.
   • To feel or express strong unwillingness or repugnance: To "rebel" can also describe a strong internal reaction against an idea or situation.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • She was a rebel in high school, always questioning the teachers.
  • The government forces clashed with the rebels in the mountains.

• Verb:

  • Teenagers often rebel against their parents' wishes.
  • He rebelled at the very idea of having to work on a weekend.

Advanced Usage

• "to rebel against something": This is the standard construction for the verb, indicating what authority, rule, or concept is being opposed.
  • The artists rebelled against the strict conventions of the time.

Variants and Related Words

• Rebellion (n): An act of armed resistance or an open defiance of authority.
  • The rebellion was quickly suppressed.
• Rebellious (adj): Showing a desire to resist authority, control, or convention.
  • He has a rebellious streak.
• Rebel yell (n, historical): A battle cry used by Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War.

Synonyms

• Noun: insurgent, revolutionary, mutineer, nonconformist, dissenter.
• Verb: revolt, mutiny, defy, resist, rise up.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(The word "rebel" itself is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. The action is typically expressed with the verb followed by "against.")

Related Idioms

• "Rebel without a cause": A person who is rebellious but has no clear goal or reason for their defiance. (From the title of a famous 1955 film).
  • He's not a political activist; he's just a rebel without a cause.

Noun

1. someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action
2. a person who takes part in an armed rebellion against the constituted authority (especially in the hope of improving conditions)
3. `Johnny' was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; `greyback' derived from their grey Confederate uniforms

Verb

1. break with established customs
2. take part in a rebellion; renounce a former allegiance