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

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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

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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 The only time Kansas City has done that in five straight home games versus a single opponent was a six-game run against the Broncos (1966-1971). — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2026 Brown added 85 yards and a clinching touchdown on the ground, while the Longhorns (7-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) made a series of big defensive plays in the fourth quarter to help preserve their fourth win over a top-20 opponent this season. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026 In particular, opponents raised concerns that data centers could apply for the measure’s streamlined permitting process. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2026 For the third straight week the Dallas Cowboys will play an ideal opponent, which is the problem. — Mac Engel november 7, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for opponent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opponent
  1. foe
  2. enemy
  3. rival
  4. adversary
Noun
  • Keeping Notre Dame as an 11th Power Four foe was difficult for UF decision-makers to justify, even with the College Football Playoff expanding to 24 teams.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Jenkins, a familiar Lakers foe who scored 30 points in Detroit’s win over the Lakers here last year, scored 22 points of his career-high 31 in the first half, cutting the Lakers’ 26-point lead to 13 by halftime.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of foe
Noun
  • Encounters involve using firearms and hand-to-hand combat to fight enemies.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Analysts point out that while politicians portray data centers as public enemies driving up utility bills, electricity price hikes occur primarily in regions experiencing power tightness caused by inadequate forward looking grid planning.
    — , CNBC, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of enemy
Noun
  • The Bruins have won four straight against Arizona and lead the all-time series with their former Pac-12 rival 67-25.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Some of Nvidia's biggest rivals, such as Broadcom, Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, saw their shares advance Thursday following Huang's departure as investors predicted that its customers will look to diversify their suppliers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of rival
Noun
  • The initiative will target foreign adversaries and domestic actors who exploit advanced systems for unlawful purposes.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Also known as an adversary-in-the-middle attack, on-path attacks happen when a hacker gains access to a piece of infrastructure sending traffic back and forth between two parties.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of adversary

Browse Nearby Words

opinions
opponent
opponents
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Cite this Entry

“Opponent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opponent. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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