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
Relevance
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
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 opponents
Their season has been busy, grumpy and overstretched, and pressure has been a niggling, constant companion, particularly at home, but their opponents on Sunday were hapless, soft in defence and muddled in their thinking.
—
George Caulkin, New York Times, 18 May 2026
His hope was that Mendoza would help the Raiders do the same, figuratively, for their opponents.
—Dan Greene, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
While Roger Federer is depicted as James Bond, in a tux, elegant and wrinkle-free, Nadal is called Rambo, ripped and relentless, brutalizing the ball and opponents alike.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
But, like Brady and LeBron, Messi at almost 39 is a physical unicorn, defying time, defying logic, defying opponents who assume this freak of nature can’t possibly still be this great.
—Greg Cote
may 18, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
Higher seeds that got byes are just 9-7 in the division series under the new format despite having a superior regular season record and home-field advantage over their opponents.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 18 May 2026
How the Thunder develop their talent The Thunder keep opponents on their toes for reasons beyond their talent.
—Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Boxing fans reacted the same way when Mike Tyson tore through opponents in the first round during the 1980s.
—Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
Tusk’s party says Law and Justice used Pegasus to spy illegally on political opponents while in power.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
George Caulkin, New York Times, 18 May 2026
His hope was that Mendoza would help the Raiders do the same, figuratively, for their opponents.
—Dan Greene, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
While Roger Federer is depicted as James Bond, in a tux, elegant and wrinkle-free, Nadal is called Rambo, ripped and relentless, brutalizing the ball and opponents alike.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
But, like Brady and LeBron, Messi at almost 39 is a physical unicorn, defying time, defying logic, defying opponents who assume this freak of nature can’t possibly still be this great.
—Greg Cote
may 18, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
Higher seeds that got byes are just 9-7 in the division series under the new format despite having a superior regular season record and home-field advantage over their opponents.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 18 May 2026
How the Thunder develop their talent The Thunder keep opponents on their toes for reasons beyond their talent.
—Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Boxing fans reacted the same way when Mike Tyson tore through opponents in the first round during the 1980s.
—Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
Tusk’s party says Law and Justice used Pegasus to spy illegally on political opponents while in power.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opponents
Noun
-
Philly’s fans show out like few others can, and they’ll be leveled up in the presence of such familiar foes.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
-
But Sean Payton’s team was also abnormally good in one-score games, won its final two against division foes without their starting quarterbacks, played a third-place schedule and stayed fairly healthy — until overtime of the divisional round, at least.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Joining the military includes an oath, a binding pledge to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic and maintain allegiance to the country.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
24 May 2026
-
Off Campus uses the messy lives of these athletes to explore romance tropes like fake-dating plots, enemies-to-lovers twists, secret relationships, and more.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
The crosstown rivals played just one regular-season series, with UCLA outscoring USC 31-16 in a three-game sweep in early April at Jackie Robinson Stadium.—
Jack Vita,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
-
Fry set foot back in the PLP building just a day after Arsenal, the hated north London rivals of his beloved Tottenham Hotspur, were confirmed as Premier League champions with just today’s final round of games to go.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
Every quarter that a security team operates on a manual hunting cycle while adversaries run automated campaigns, the gap widens.—
Aqsa Taylor,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
The stunning outcome caps a career like few others and shows the extent of the president’s ability to badger, badmouth and eventually boot out his political adversaries — and that no lawmaker is apparently safe.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
Collins’s main competitors are Derek Dooley, the former head coach of the football programs at Louisiana Tech and the University of Tennessee, and Buddy Carter, another Georgia congressman.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
19 May 2026
-
Viola’s reaction spotlighted growing frustration among competitors who believe the ruling body is using procedural fixes to avoid addressing biological differences in girls' sports.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Opponents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opponents. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
