the opposition

noun

: a person or group that someone is trying to defeat or succeed against : a person or group that someone is competing with
The coach advised her team not to underestimate the opposition.

Examples of the opposition in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
When the opposition sought to hang posters on lampposts and utility poles, the government, invoking concerns about road safety, at one point stepped in to outlaw the practice. Kapil Komireddi, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026 As the opposition party in Maryland, Republican lawmakers have adopted the strategy Democratic lawmakers use at the federal level — stonewall everything. Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2026 The campaign to retain Lakewood’s rezoning regulations has outraised the opposition by a ratio of nearly 6-to-1 — $269,000 to $46,000, according to campaign finance filings posted on the city’s website on March 31. John Aguilar, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026 District 2 Supervisor Elisa Marquez praised the opposition to the possible redevelopment and ICE’s actions against immigrants across the country. Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for the opposition

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“The opposition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20opposition. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster