1
as in foe
one that takes a position opposite another in a competition or conflict
in martial arts, before the match begins, always bow to your opponent
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in enemy
one that is hostile toward another
the senator has many political opponents who would love to ruin his career
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of opponent
The Pistons are 12-4 against division opponents.
—
ABC News, 17 May 2026
The 44-year-old hadn't fought in MMA since 2009 and showed up in real condition, but the 17 years of ring rust against an opponent who specializes in exactly this kind of finish was always going to be a difficult bridge to cross.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Polls show Donalds and Moody both ahead against any hypothetical Democratic opponent, and both are expected to be well funded, with plenty of national GOP support.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 17 May 2026
Across the cage stood MMA pioneer Gina Carano, the original mainstream face of women’s MMA and the opponent fans spent years fantasy-booking against Rousey during the peak of both careers.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for opponent
ABC News, 17 May 2026
The 44-year-old hadn't fought in MMA since 2009 and showed up in real condition, but the 17 years of ring rust against an opponent who specializes in exactly this kind of finish was always going to be a difficult bridge to cross.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Polls show Donalds and Moody both ahead against any hypothetical Democratic opponent, and both are expected to be well funded, with plenty of national GOP support.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 17 May 2026
Across the cage stood MMA pioneer Gina Carano, the original mainstream face of women’s MMA and the opponent fans spent years fantasy-booking against Rousey during the peak of both careers.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for opponent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opponent
Noun
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Philly’s fans show out like few others can, and they’ll be leveled up in the presence of such familiar foes.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
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But Sean Payton’s team was also abnormally good in one-score games, won its final two against division foes without their starting quarterbacks, played a third-place schedule and stayed fairly healthy — until overtime of the divisional round, at least.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
15 May 2026
Noun
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In addition to the rotating contestants, Darrell Hammond almost always appeared as Trebek's enemy, a fictional version of the late Sean Connery.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
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This could potentially raise billions of dollars for Iran while also putting pressure on Tehran’s ruling party’s enemies worldwide.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
17 May 2026
Noun
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The Angels had won seven consecutive games against the Dodgers, the franchise’s longest winning streak against its crosstown rival.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2026
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Sean McVay’s team has a chip on its shoulder after watching the division rival Seattle Seahawks lift the Lombardi Trophy last season.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
Noun
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The system also offers powerful intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance features, such as cameras and a telescope, allowing operators to see farther and capture footage of adversaries in high detail and resolution, as per reports.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
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The United States and China, the world’s largest economies, remain locked in a mutually dependent relationship as trading partners, economic competitors and adversaries.—
Youyou Zhou,
Washington Post,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Opponent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opponent. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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