op·po·nent
ə-ˈpō-nənt 
1
: one that takes an opposite position (as in a debate, contest, or conflict)
She is a formidable opponent in the race for senator.
opponents of the war
2
: a muscle that opposes or counteracts and limits the action of another
1
2
: situated in front
Synonyms
Examples of opponent in a Sentence
Noun
She is a formidable opponent in the race for senator.
The team's opponents have not lost a game this season.
He knocked out his opponent in the third round.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024
The Aztecs’ staff leads the conference in strikeouts (335) and opponent batting average (.260), but also in walks (256) and hit batters (86).
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024
Putin’s re-election to a fifth presidential term was scheduled for the middle of March, leaving his opponents only a few weeks to game out a plan of action for election day.
—Simon Shuster / Vilnius, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
Conservative opponents, who see it as an unfair burden for taxpayers who didn’t attend college, have threatened to challenge it in court.
—Collin Binkley, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
Boston also recorded the NBA’s top net rating, outscoring opponents by a dominant 11.7 points per 100 possessions — 4.4 points better than the team with the league’s second-best net rating.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
The best competitive breakers find ways to surprise judges and opponents while remaining consistent, requiring a nearly-impossible balance between steady practice to refine and maintain one’s abilities, and forever reinventing oneself.
—Brandon Sneed, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2024
His top opponent, state Sen. Sarah K. Elfreth (D-Anne Arundel), has raised $915,685 since the start of her campaign.
—Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Her opponents each have less than $1 million in cash on hand.
—Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Apr. 2024
Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024
Struggle to defend inside the arc: The Bears struggle to defend 2-point shots, ranking No. 226 in opponent 2-point percentage (51.6%).
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 2 Mar. 2024
Nothing easy inside the arc: OU ranks No. 9 in opponent two-point percentage, limiting teams to just 28.9% shooting inside the arc.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 17 Feb. 2024
Last season, the Orange’s punt return and opponent kick return units were around 50th in the nation in average yards, while their kickoff return and opponent punt return groups were below 100th in the country.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 5 Jan. 2024
The Hoosiers are 105th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom, barely inside the top 100 in 2-point defense and 261st in opponent 3-point percentage.
—Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Jan. 2024
Despite that emphasis, Detroit is 26th in points allowed (122.6 per game) and opponent field goal percentage (49.2%) while averaging fewer shots per game than its opponents due to leading the league in turnovers per game (16.4).
—Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press, 5 Jan. 2024
And then there’s the 1951 New York Giants, who used a military field scope to steal a catcher’s signs and a buzzer system to relay opponent pitch calls to the batter.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 20 Oct. 2023
Trump’s former running mate and now opponent, Mike Pence, defended the song while speaking to reporters in New Hampshire.
—Emma Barnett, NBC News, 21 July 2023
Noun
But all of Heap's opponents — incumbent Republican Stephen Richer, Republican Don Hiatt and Democrat Tim Stringham — turned in their reports on time.
—Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024
The Aztecs’ staff leads the conference in strikeouts (335) and opponent batting average (.260), but also in walks (256) and hit batters (86).
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024
Putin’s re-election to a fifth presidential term was scheduled for the middle of March, leaving his opponents only a few weeks to game out a plan of action for election day.
—Simon Shuster / Vilnius, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
Conservative opponents, who see it as an unfair burden for taxpayers who didn’t attend college, have threatened to challenge it in court.
—Collin Binkley, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
Boston also recorded the NBA’s top net rating, outscoring opponents by a dominant 11.7 points per 100 possessions — 4.4 points better than the team with the league’s second-best net rating.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
The best competitive breakers find ways to surprise judges and opponents while remaining consistent, requiring a nearly-impossible balance between steady practice to refine and maintain one’s abilities, and forever reinventing oneself.
—Brandon Sneed, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2024
His top opponent, state Sen. Sarah K. Elfreth (D-Anne Arundel), has raised $915,685 since the start of her campaign.
—Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Her opponents each have less than $1 million in cash on hand.
—Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Elite at guarding the long ball: K-State ranks No. 38 in opponent three-point percentage (31.1).
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024
Struggle to defend inside the arc: The Bears struggle to defend 2-point shots, ranking No. 226 in opponent 2-point percentage (51.6%).
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 2 Mar. 2024
Nothing easy inside the arc: OU ranks No. 9 in opponent two-point percentage, limiting teams to just 28.9% shooting inside the arc.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 17 Feb. 2024
Last season, the Orange’s punt return and opponent kick return units were around 50th in the nation in average yards, while their kickoff return and opponent punt return groups were below 100th in the country.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 5 Jan. 2024
The Hoosiers are 105th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom, barely inside the top 100 in 2-point defense and 261st in opponent 3-point percentage.
—Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Jan. 2024
Despite that emphasis, Detroit is 26th in points allowed (122.6 per game) and opponent field goal percentage (49.2%) while averaging fewer shots per game than its opponents due to leading the league in turnovers per game (16.4).
—Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press, 5 Jan. 2024
And then there’s the 1951 New York Giants, who used a military field scope to steal a catcher’s signs and a buzzer system to relay opponent pitch calls to the batter.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 20 Oct. 2023
Trump’s former running mate and now opponent, Mike Pence, defended the song while speaking to reporters in New Hampshire.
—Emma Barnett, NBC News, 21 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'opponent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near opponent
Cite this Entry
“Opponent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opponent. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
opponent
noun
op·po·nent
ə-ˈpō-nənt
: a muscle that opposes or counteracts and limits the action of another
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