enemy

noun

en·e·my | \ˈe-nə-mē

plural enemies

Definition of enemy

1 : one that is antagonistic to another especially : one seeking to injure, overthrow, or confound an opponent

2 : something harmful or deadly alcohol was his greatest enemy

3a : a military adversary

b : a hostile unit or force

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about enemy

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Synonyms & Antonyms for enemy

Synonyms

adversary, antagonist, foe, hostile, opponent

Antonyms

amigo, friend

Examples of enemy in a Sentence

He made a lot of enemies during the course of his career. Tradition is the enemy of progress.

Recent Examples on the Web

The enemies were diffuse — nature and the ticking clock. — Washington Post, "A Thai cave, an extraordinary tale and a captivated world," 12 July 2018 The result, when the enemy AI refuses to allow itself to be pushed off the side, is that fights can drag on. — Julie Muncy, WIRED, "Extreme Meatpunks Forever," 11 July 2018 In the cancer ward, the instinct has long been to eliminate the enemy; success has typically been measured as the destruction of a cancer. — James Degregori, STAT, "Using the principles of evolution to treat and prevent cancer," 27 June 2018 Perhaps no feeling was more horrifying to a soldier in the Civil War than the realization deep into a charge against the enemy that the assault was doomed. — Ryan P. Smith, Smithsonian, "Newly Unearthed Civil War Bones Speak Silently to the Grim Aftermath of Battle," 20 June 2018 But America has made a mockery of the WTO by picking trade fights with friends and enemies alike, and by refusing to appoint judges to its appeals body—opening the way for China to set up a rival body of its own. — The Economist, "Xi’s world order: July 2024," 7 July 2018 Gambit is a unique mash-up of PvP and PvE, tasking two teams of four with killing enemies to collect enough motes of light to summon an end-boss before the others—or spending those motes to harass the rival group. — Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "The best PC games of E3 2018," 15 June 2018 And there’s a powerful air dash that can be aimed in pretty much any direction, as Ridley slams into enemies, leaving a purple energy trail in his wake. — Scott Meslow, GQ, "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate," 15 June 2018 His cross-eyes and panting-dog demeanor belie a natural genius, which is the player's talent at jumping on enemies and spinning into them like a dervish to vanquish them. — Harold Goldberg, chicagotribune.com, "Classic games, lovingly reimagined in 'Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy'," 13 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'enemy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.