oppose

verb

op·pose | \ ə-ˈpōz

opposed; opposing

Definition of oppose

1 : to place over against something so as to provide resistance, counterbalance, or contrast one military force opposed to another concreteness as opposed to abstraction— L. E. Lynch

2 : to place opposite or against something oppose the enemy oppose a congressional bill

3 : to offer resistance to

Other Words from oppose Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about oppose

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for oppose

oppose, combat, resist, withstand mean to set oneself against someone or something. oppose can apply to any conflict, from mere objection to bitter hostility or warfare. opposed the plan combat stresses the forceful or urgent countering of something. combat disease resist implies an overt recognition of a hostile or threatening force and a positive effort to counteract or repel it. resisting temptation withstand suggests a more passive resistance. trying to withstand peer pressure

Examples of oppose in a Sentence

The governor opposes the death penalty. The change is opposed by many of the town's business leaders. The group opposes the mayor and is trying to find a candidate to run against her. You've opposed every suggestion I've made. He met the man who will oppose him in the next election. These two teams opposed each other in last year's playoffs. We're hoping we can get more senators to oppose the legislation.

Recent Examples on the Web

The study, released in late February on the JAMA Network Open, which is published by the American Medical Association, highlighted the political contributions during the 2016 election cycle to House and Senate lawmakers who opposed an expansion... — Kristina Peterson, WSJ, "Doctors’ PACs Favored Candidates Opposing Gun Background Checks," 3 Mar. 2019 The company's use of air—as opposed to stones, which have been more traditionally used in the softening of tough fabrics like linen—is not just symbolic. — Amanda Sims, House Beautiful, "Snowe’s New Linen Sheets Are Literally Air-Whipped for Fluffiness," 27 Feb. 2019 This is the rare case, for example, where even many scholars who oppose Obamacare think the argument is bunk. — Sarah Kliff, Vox, "Is the new Obamacare lawsuit headed to the Supreme Court?," 17 Dec. 2018 About a decade earlier than that, some geneticists who had opposed Lysenko had been arrested, some had been imprisoned, some had been disappeared. — Rachel Becker, The Verge, "Cold War propaganda spread the myth that science isn’t political," 11 Dec. 2018 Because the Honeywell is an evaporative humidifier (as opposed to an ultrasonic model), the water is pushed through a wick filter. — Stephanie Shore Fisher, Country Living, "The Honeywell HCM350W Humidifier Is Single-Handedly Helping Me Survive the Winter," 12 Feb. 2019 According to Ilya Mordvintsev, lead researcher at the Severtsev Institute of Ecology and Evolution, the bears are migrating in search of food, albeit at the height of a frosty winter as opposed to the balmier months of spring. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "'Mass Invasion' of Polar Bears Descends on Remote Russian Village in Search of Food," 11 Feb. 2019 The company is adding the ability for users to comment on someone’s profile, as opposed to just liking it. — Ashley Carman, The Verge, "Coffee Meets Bagel redesigns its app and introduces profile commenting," 11 Dec. 2018 Lein points out that their entire collection is made in the U.S. as opposed to China, where the majority of their competitors manufacture their luggage (bags are made to order at their California factory and shipped within three days). — Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why Everyone Wants an Away Suitcase," 26 Nov. 2018

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

History and Etymology for oppose

Middle English opposen "to question, examine, accuse" (as past participle opposed "opposite, contrary"), borrowed from Anglo-French opposer "to counter, argue in opposition, question, interrogate," re-formation, with poser "to place, pose entry 1," of Latin oppōnere (perfect opposuī, past participle oppositus) "to place (over or against), place as an obstacle, set in opposition to, argue in reply," from ob- ob- + pōnere "to place, set" — more at position entry 1