1
as in foes
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 enemies
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 opponents
Alaves are happy to chase their opponents up the pitch, Mallorca are more comfortable sitting back, while Sevilla have adopted a direct approach since Luis Garcia Plaza took over in March.
—
Thom Harris, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
At close range, Bruce would extend his neck to thrust at opponents, adding a run or jump to the motion when attacking from farther away.
—ArsTechnica, 20 Apr. 2026
Democrats won in a landslide in the 2025 gubernatorial election, but Virginia is still a fairly purple state, and Tuesday's redistricting vote seems to be a toss-up, even as the pro-redistricting side has massively outspent its opponents.
—Jahd Khalil, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026
Trump pushes shaky deal with Iran as Hormuz is shut again, but opponents give him no credit for progress.
—FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
But, beyond the specifics, opponents of the bill don’t like its rationale.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
By resting the thrust of their argument on Trumbull’s quote, the opponents of birthright citizenship engage in a classic first-year law student mistake of not reading the entirety of the text in question.
—Ediberto Roman, Sun Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026
The revelation has left furious opponents calling for Starmer to resign and uneasy allies wondering what else the nation’s leader didn’t know about.
—ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
If there's a better version of Madison Taylor, that would certainly be scary for any of the Wildcats opponents the rest of the way.
—Matt Zahn, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Thom Harris, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
At close range, Bruce would extend his neck to thrust at opponents, adding a run or jump to the motion when attacking from farther away.
—ArsTechnica, 20 Apr. 2026
Democrats won in a landslide in the 2025 gubernatorial election, but Virginia is still a fairly purple state, and Tuesday's redistricting vote seems to be a toss-up, even as the pro-redistricting side has massively outspent its opponents.
—Jahd Khalil, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026
Trump pushes shaky deal with Iran as Hormuz is shut again, but opponents give him no credit for progress.
—FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
But, beyond the specifics, opponents of the bill don’t like its rationale.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
By resting the thrust of their argument on Trumbull’s quote, the opponents of birthright citizenship engage in a classic first-year law student mistake of not reading the entirety of the text in question.
—Ediberto Roman, Sun Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026
The revelation has left furious opponents calling for Starmer to resign and uneasy allies wondering what else the nation’s leader didn’t know about.
—ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
If there's a better version of Madison Taylor, that would certainly be scary for any of the Wildcats opponents the rest of the way.
—Matt Zahn, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opponents
Noun
-
Jokic had 25 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists and a bloody nose in a physical game between the Northwest Division foes.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Trump allies — and foes — unite to oppose a blockbuster television merger.—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In large part because the only feeling more satisfying than defeating your enemies is that of defeating your friends.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
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Nematodes and aphids, the two enemies of summer gardens, will stay away from your lettuce thanks to marigolds, but there's one more insect benefit.—
Heather Bien,
The Spruce,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Liverpool would wriggle their way back to the top of the table by March, only for the campaign to fall apart after five defeats in seven matches, a run that allowed Merseyside rivals Everton to win the league for the second time in three seasons.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Colombian presidential candidate Iván Cepeda consolidated his lead in the most recent poll and would defeat both conservative rivals in a runoff scenario, five weeks ahead of the vote.—
Oscar Medina,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The move threatens to raise tensions between regional adversaries in a country that is still recovering from a civil war that stymied attempts to liberalize one of Africa’s biggest economies.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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Prosecutors accuse the Ketchersides of running a prostitution enterprise that relied on help from law enforcement and was used to target political adversaries.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Reigns tossed Punk from the announce table onto the ground as the referee begged for both competitors to get back into the ring.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
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In 2025 many mechanical competitors overheated and fell.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Opponents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opponents. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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