Definition of enemy
enemies
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 adversaryb : a hostile unit or force
From the M-W Editors
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 of enemy from the Web
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Bunning's gruff demeanor labeled him as rude by political enemies and straightforward by friends.
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Vietnamese PM Says Steps Will Be Taken to Meet GDP Goal x Share Embed Permalink Vietnam wants its former enemy more engaged in the region to balance relations with China -- its neighbor, main trading partner and top geopolitical threat.
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He was killed by enemy fire on Ie Shima, a tiny speck of an island off the coast of Okinawa on April 18, 1945.
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Every country has a militaristic right-wing, and nothing helps that right-wing triumph over their domestic enemies more than a state of war.
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By emerging together, cicadas can overwhelm their enemies and live to spawn another generation.
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Trump needs enemies but beating up on your rivals is hard.
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They are joined by Sparrow and pursued by old and new enemies: the British Navy; the greedy pirate Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush); and an army of ghouls led by the spectral Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), known as the butcher of the sea.
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Smart machines can already bomb our enemies and rub our backs.
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.
Origin and Etymology of enemy
Middle English enemi, from Anglo-French, from Latin inimicus, from in- 1in- + amicus friend — more at amiable
First Known Use: 13th century
ENEMY Defined for English Language Learners
enemy
playDefinition of enemy for English Language Learners
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: someone who hates another : someone who attacks or tries to harm another
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: something that harms or threatens someone or something
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: a group of people (such as a nation) against whom another group is fighting a war
ENEMY Defined for Kids
enemy
playDefinition of enemy for Students
enemies
1 : a person who hates another : a person who attacks or tries to harm another
2 : a country or group of people with which another country or group is at war or a person belonging to such a country or group
3 : something that harms or threatens Drought is the farmer's enemy.
Learn More about enemy
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for enemy Spanish Central: Translation of enemy Nglish: Translation of enemy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of enemy for Arabic speakers
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