repealed; repealing; repeals
1
: to rescind or annul by authoritative act
especially : to revoke or abrogate by legislative enactment
3
obsolete : to summon to return : recall
repeal noun
Examples of repeal in a Sentence
the company called the furniture store to repeal the order for six new desks in 1933, Congress passed the 21st Amendment which repealed the Prohibition Amendment of 1919, thus making the sale, distribution, and use of alcohol legal once again
Recent Examples on the Web
State lawmakers are also looking to limit or repeal the incentives that paved the way for massive growth in data centers. —
Kevin Hardy, Baltimore Sun, 20 Apr. 2026 Miami Cuban-American leaders such as Manny Díaz successfully pushed to repeal the law in the early 1990s. —David Ovalle, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026 Karen Gordey headed up the Lakewood Citizens Alliance, one of several issue committees that formed last year to collect signatures for a citizen ballot initiative to repeal the city’s zoning updates. —John Aguilar, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026 Trump has ordered that two rules be repealed for every new one imposed. —Editorial, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for repeal
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Kevin Hardy, Baltimore Sun, 20 Apr. 2026 Miami Cuban-American leaders such as Manny Díaz successfully pushed to repeal the law in the early 1990s. —David Ovalle, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026 Karen Gordey headed up the Lakewood Citizens Alliance, one of several issue committees that formed last year to collect signatures for a citizen ballot initiative to repeal the city’s zoning updates. —John Aguilar, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026 Trump has ordered that two rules be repealed for every new one imposed. —Editorial, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for repeal
Cite this Entry
“Repeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/repeal. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
repeal
verb
re·peal ri-ˈpē(ə)l 
: to do away with especially by legislative action
repeal a law
repeal noun
Legal Definition
repeal
transitive verb
re·peal ri-ˈpēl
: to rescind or annul by authoritative act
especially : to revoke or abrogate by legislative enactment
legislatures repealing statutes in light of a recent Supreme Court decision
repeal noun
Etymology
Anglo-French repeler, from Old French, from re- back + apeler to appeal, call, from Latin appellare to address, entreat, call by name
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