rebels

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of rebel.

   Several rebels surrendered once their supplies ran out.

   The captured rebels were brought before a military tribunal.

   Note

   Spelled exactly like the verb form but said differently: the noun is stressed on its first syllable (REB-els), the verb on its last (re-BELS). In US historical writing the plural often names one side rather than scattered insurgents. There the rebels are Confederates, especially Confederate soldiers of the American Civil War, a use worth recognizing in period sources.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of rebel.

   The youngest son always rebels against his father's strict expectations.

   When the council raises taxes again, the whole district rebels.

   Note

   The verb takes no direct object: one rebels against something rather than rebelling something. Against introduces the authority resisted, whether a father's expectations or a government. The range runs from everyday defiance to forceful attempts to replace a state's rule. Spoken, it carries final stress, which is how the ear tells it from the noun plural.

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