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
Images of Hernandez sharing podium spots with female opponents became an infamous viral point of debate over the last two weeks leading up to the finals, after the CIF's controversial policy change.
—
Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2026
Bass did not garner the band of opponents many expected.
—Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026
The attorney trounced his opponent, Paloma Valencia, who was seen as the right-wing establishment candidate and was backed by former President Alvaro Uribe; the senator failed to reach 7% of the vote.
—Alfie Pannell, Miami Herald, 31 May 2026
Since 2007-08, there have only been eight lines that have played 100 minutes or more and earned an xG of 70 percent or higher and there have been 14 to outscore their opponents by eight or more.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for opponent
Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2026
Bass did not garner the band of opponents many expected.
—Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026
The attorney trounced his opponent, Paloma Valencia, who was seen as the right-wing establishment candidate and was backed by former President Alvaro Uribe; the senator failed to reach 7% of the vote.
—Alfie Pannell, Miami Herald, 31 May 2026
Since 2007-08, there have only been eight lines that have played 100 minutes or more and earned an xG of 70 percent or higher and there have been 14 to outscore their opponents by eight or more.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for opponent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opponent
Noun
-
Daemon rocks the trailer with blood on his face from sticking his sword into foes.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
The Bruins have faced foes’ best efforts all season.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
And both of them with the ability and desire to defend and scramble, and the hunger to attack at the first opportunity without letting a perfect ball be the enemy of the good.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
-
Capable of traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 5 while maneuvering in flight, these weapons are designed to compress enemy reaction times and evade many traditional missile defense systems.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
These two great rivals never raced each other again.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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In the span of a week, the Golden State Valkyries and Indiana Fever have seemingly become rivals.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
This must include continuous exposure management, identity context, telemetry correlation, human-in-the-loop controls and the ability to validate and simulate adversary paths before they are exploited.—
Tom Kellermann,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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The marshals initially suspect Rainwater's adversary on the Broken Rock council, Nathan Irons (Gary Nohealii), who is found dead of an apparent suicide.—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Opponent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opponent. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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