opponent

noun

ə-ˈpō-nənt How to pronounce opponent (audio)
Definition of opponentnext
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

Relevance

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

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.
Recent Examples of opponent By the end of the 2025 season, Santa Margarita was 35 points better than its closest opponent. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 The Longhorns were up 17-3 after Ryan Niblett returned a punt for a touchdown to give the Horns a two-score lead midway through the second quarter while their opponent, the Florida Gators, looked hapless. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026 The shift after New York coach Mike Sullivan called timeout to attempt to stunt his opponent's momentum, Arseny Gritsyuk scored on a juicy rebound to end Garand's night following four goals on 13 shots. — CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 The Chargers, this week’s opponent in Kansas City on Sunday afternoon, did just that, even after reaching the playoffs. — Sam McDowell 16, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for opponent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opponent
  1. foe
  2. enemy
  3. rival
  4. adversary
Noun
  • After building an action camera capable of tracking speedy cyclists and skiers, HoverAir decided to tackle a foe that had foiled other consumer drone manufacturers.
    — Max Cea, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Ward is 3-19 as a starting quarterback, which includes a 0-7 mark against AFC South foes, and is staring another loss to a divisional rival in the face with the Titans traveling to Indianapolis to take on the Colts on Sunday.
    — Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of foe
Noun
  • And strength to resist reducing complex human challenges to slogans, enemies, or simple answers.
    — Halla Tómasdóttir, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In other words, the brain makes sure that the Valkyrie follows European protocols about when to engage with and fire upon an enemy.
    — David Szondy October 15, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of enemy
Noun
  • And that could be exactly what the Horned Frogs need to snap their rival’s four-game winning streak.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Democrats are more than happy to draw those connections, pummeling their Republican rivals for standing by a president who is unpopular with so many voters.
    — Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of rival
Noun
  • The integration could help American troops operate uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) when adversaries attempt to disrupt battlefield communications.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Washington, for its part, is creating friction in many of its partnerships instead of deepening them, and risks squandering its network just as its adversaries are learning to make more of theirs.
    — Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of adversary

Browse Nearby Words

opinions
opponent
opponents
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Opponent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opponent. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of bon vivant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All