as in foes
one that is hostile toward another
a beloved minister with no known enemies
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Recent Examples of enemies
The president has directed the department to pursue his personal enemies and has replaced career DOJ employees with inexperienced MAGA loyalists, sometimes to the detriment of his own agenda.
—
Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
Olivia, Bailey’s mother, was really Kate Smith, and her father was Nicholas Bell (David Morse), famous mob lawyer for The Syndicate, or The Organization, a group notorious for crimes and brutal retaliation against their enemies.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2026
Words become weapons, opinions become radicalized, and gradually, two neighbors become deadly enemies.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
Israel, which has not signed the NPT, neither confirms nor denies having nuclear weapons, under a decades-old ambiguity policy designed to deter surrounding enemies.
—Max Burman, NBC news, 17 Feb. 2026
Once released, the two men made animated films for the British war effort (so much for being enemies, or aliens), and then, in 1944, Hoellering took charge of the Academy, a cinema on London’s Oxford Street.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026
Xenomorphs, meanwhile, tried to overwhelm humans and Yautja with a mix of speed and stealth (camping while glued to a ceiling to jump-scare enemies never got old).
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 15 Feb. 2026
And, perhaps most importantly, we are feared by the enemies all over the globe.
—Will Weissert, Arkansas Online, 14 Feb. 2026
On the ice, they’re sworn enemies.
—Hannah Ryan, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026
Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
Olivia, Bailey’s mother, was really Kate Smith, and her father was Nicholas Bell (David Morse), famous mob lawyer for The Syndicate, or The Organization, a group notorious for crimes and brutal retaliation against their enemies.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2026
Words become weapons, opinions become radicalized, and gradually, two neighbors become deadly enemies.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
Israel, which has not signed the NPT, neither confirms nor denies having nuclear weapons, under a decades-old ambiguity policy designed to deter surrounding enemies.
—Max Burman, NBC news, 17 Feb. 2026
Once released, the two men made animated films for the British war effort (so much for being enemies, or aliens), and then, in 1944, Hoellering took charge of the Academy, a cinema on London’s Oxford Street.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026
Xenomorphs, meanwhile, tried to overwhelm humans and Yautja with a mix of speed and stealth (camping while glued to a ceiling to jump-scare enemies never got old).
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 15 Feb. 2026
And, perhaps most importantly, we are feared by the enemies all over the globe.
—Will Weissert, Arkansas Online, 14 Feb. 2026
On the ice, they’re sworn enemies.
—Hannah Ryan, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enemies
Noun
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Beyond the Epstein files, Democrats raised broad concerns about the Justice Department increasingly investigating and prosecuting the president’s political foes.—
Ana Ceballos,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Pine has outscored its playoff foes 24-0.—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The core of key contributors across Cherundolo’s tenure plus remaining players from the class who arrived in the same window as Son – center back Ryan Porteous and midfielder Mathieu Choinière – were bolstered by transfers who align with how Dos Santos envisions LAFC challenging opponents.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
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Some pundits predicted he would be outclassed by his more experienced political opponents during the presidential debates.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Enemies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enemies. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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