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# repellent

noun (repellent, repellents); adjective (repellent)

«repellent» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A repellent is a spray, cream or other thing that keeps animals or insects away, such as insect repellent against mosquitoes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/repellent/#m1)
2. A water-repellent material makes water roll off it instead of soaking in. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/repellent/#m2)
3. As an adjective, repellent means very unpleasant or disgusting. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/repellent/#m3)

### In the lessons

Everyday life and safety: insect repellent is put on skin before walks, camping and summer evenings to stop bites from mosquitoes and ticks; adults should help with it, keep it away from eyes and mouth, and wash hands after. In science, water-repellent fabrics and feathers (ducks) are studied in lessons on materials; magnets repel (push away). Phrases: insect repellent, mosquito repellent, water-repellent jacket.

### Examples

- Put on insect repellent before we go into the woods. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/repellent/#x1)
- The mosquito repellent smells of lemons. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/repellent/#x2)
- My raincoat is water-repellent, so the drops roll off. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/repellent/#x3)
- Ducks' feathers are water-repellent because of a special oil. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/repellent/#x4)
- Do not spray repellent near your eyes or on cuts. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/repellent/#x5)
- The rotten fish had a repellent smell. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/repellent/#x6)
- Some gardeners use a repellent to keep slugs off the lettuce. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/repellent/#x7)

### Note

Noun or adjective. Comes from the verb «repel» (to push away). Spelling: repellent (also «repellant» in some US use), double l. Repellent does not kill insects, it only keeps them away; ask an adult which kind is safe for children.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «repellent» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/repellent/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«repellent» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/repellent.html) on Mova free.