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
Liverpool have lost six of seven games when the opposition score first this campaign (compared with winning seven and drawing once from 1-0 up).
—
Liam Tharme, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025
Iraq did not have a presidential election won by the opposition, as Venezuela had in 2024.
—Miami Herald, 11 Dec. 2025
Those include ways to support the opposition in setting up a transitional government and how to ensure Venezuela’s oil fields and infrastructure are kept safe.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Machado was barred from running in Venezuela's presidential election last year, despite having won the opposition's primary by a landslide.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the opposition
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.
Liam Tharme, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025
Iraq did not have a presidential election won by the opposition, as Venezuela had in 2024.
—Miami Herald, 11 Dec. 2025
Those include ways to support the opposition in setting up a transitional government and how to ensure Venezuela’s oil fields and infrastructure are kept safe.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Machado was barred from running in Venezuela's presidential election last year, despite having won the opposition's primary by a landslide.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the opposition
Cite this Entry
“The opposition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20opposition. Accessed 12 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share