A rebellion is when people actively resist or fight against an authority or system they believe is unfair or wrong. When colonists in America rebelled against British rule in 1776, they refused to follow laws they hadn't helped create and eventually fought for independence. When students stage a rebellion against an unpopular school policy, they might organize petitions or peaceful protests to demand change.

A rebellion can be large or small, violent or peaceful. History's major rebellions, like the American Revolution or the French Revolution, overthrew entire governments. Smaller rebellions might involve workers refusing unfair conditions or citizens organizing against unjust laws. The word suggests more than simple disagreement: rebels take action to challenge the power over them.

The word rebel (pronounced “REB-ul”) describes someone who participates in a rebellion, while rebel (pronounced “rih-BELL”) means to engage in rebellion: “The citizens decided to rebel against the corrupt mayor.”

Sometimes people use rebellion to describe everyday resistance, like a teenager in rebellion against their parents' rules. But true rebellion involves real risk. The American colonists who rebelled knew they might lose everything.