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
So the Huskies, 24-2 overall, are 14-1 in the league, are good enough to win, but still not quite good enough to consistently run opponents out of the building.
—
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2026
Number one is to look at the game and try to see the game through your opponent's eyes.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
Canada's Mikael Kingsbury, the sport's greatest, who is chasing his fifth Olympic medal, moves on to the final four after his opponent skidded off course.
—Sean Nevin, NBC news, 15 Feb. 2026
Joseph’s group held five opponents overall to less than 200 yards, then recorded five takeaways against Buffalo in the divisional round of the postseason and kept New England to 206 yards in the AFC title game.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for opponent
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2026
Number one is to look at the game and try to see the game through your opponent's eyes.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
Canada's Mikael Kingsbury, the sport's greatest, who is chasing his fifth Olympic medal, moves on to the final four after his opponent skidded off course.
—Sean Nevin, NBC news, 15 Feb. 2026
Joseph’s group held five opponents overall to less than 200 yards, then recorded five takeaways against Buffalo in the divisional round of the postseason and kept New England to 206 yards in the AFC title game.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for opponent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opponent
Noun
-
Aggies’ starting pitcher Weston Moss was strong against the Southern Conference foe.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
14 Feb. 2026
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Navalny, who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests as President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, died in the Arctic penal colony in February 2024.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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And, perhaps most importantly, we are feared by the enemies all over the globe.—
WILL WEISSERT,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Harvard-Westlake built a 10-point halftime lead but had to hold on against Mission League rival Crespi at home, 49-46.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
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Hard-liners may have worried that a deal would change the balance of factional forces inside the regime, and so sought to shore up their internal position by arresting their rivals.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Kaegi repeatedly steered the debate back to political contributions Hynes and Kaegi’s adversaries on the county’s Board of Review received from property tax attorneys.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
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This unit will also enforce Florida’s existing foreign adversary laws — including restrictions on land ownership — and expand accountability to companies and individuals aligned with hostile regimes that threaten Floridians’ privacy, security and sovereignty.—
February 17,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Opponent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opponent. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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