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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of opponents
Welbeck, who has four goals in his last three games, is an expert at dragging opponents out of position.
—
Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
Those moves all paid off in the form of a dominant regular season and a playoffs which saw Oklahoma City race past most of its opponents, eventually beating the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals in seven games to secure the franchise’s first title since moving from Seattle in 2008.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, redistricting opponents have seized the opportunity to thank the Senate.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 22 Oct. 2025
Citing halted university research grants, indictments of political opponents, and the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland, Merkley accused the administration of undermining constitutional norms.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Read about Davis and her opponents in the five-person trustee race here.
—Erin Glynn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Oct. 2025
Swanson is concerned with issues including fascism, freedom of the press and the prosecution of political opponents.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 2025
The project's massive energy use, along with transmission line proposal, have been major touch points of concern for opponents of the project, as is the project's use of Lake Michigan water.
—Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Tan and his political opponents were at odds for good reason.
—Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
Those moves all paid off in the form of a dominant regular season and a playoffs which saw Oklahoma City race past most of its opponents, eventually beating the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals in seven games to secure the franchise’s first title since moving from Seattle in 2008.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, redistricting opponents have seized the opportunity to thank the Senate.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 22 Oct. 2025
Citing halted university research grants, indictments of political opponents, and the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland, Merkley accused the administration of undermining constitutional norms.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Read about Davis and her opponents in the five-person trustee race here.
—Erin Glynn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Oct. 2025
Swanson is concerned with issues including fascism, freedom of the press and the prosecution of political opponents.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 2025
The project's massive energy use, along with transmission line proposal, have been major touch points of concern for opponents of the project, as is the project's use of Lake Michigan water.
—Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Tan and his political opponents were at odds for good reason.
—Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opponents
Noun
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So Florida divided up the region between coaches, struggling to maintain consistency against a growing number of more aggressive foes.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
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The fans reveled in the rally, the thrashing of Goliath, the awareness that this World Series pitted two foes who belonged on the same field.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Lower courts have ruled Trump overstepped his authority under a law historically used for imposing economic sanctions and other penalties on foreign enemies.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
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Price, a former Navy man, is conveying the exhaustion of Black sailors and soldiers in a military that continues to enshrine—most recently, in the names of Army bases—its Confederate enemies.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The company behind the iconic Roomba robotic vacuum has been watching its stock progressively slide since 2021 as its early success was overrun by stiff competition from Chinese rivals Anker, Ecovacs, and Roborock.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
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Novo Nordisk is developing a new obesity drug that clinical trials suggest rivals Zepbound in effectiveness, and Eli Lilly is testing a drug that could end up being even more effective than the current products on the market.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Potential adversaries interpret political action in zero-sum terms; see malice and evil design in mere blunders and coincidence; trumpet necessity rather than navigate choice; and, in extreme cases, invent pretext or promise profit to make more palatable a dubious cause.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
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In Texas, meanwhile, statehouse lobbyists are outright banned from accepting payments from corporations linked to foreign adversaries.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Meta's stock is lagging behind many of its Magnificent 7 peers, particularly as the Facebook parent continues to pour massive amounts of cash into its database buildouts and poaches top AI talent from competitors.—
Nick Wells,Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
27 Oct. 2025
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Salesforce’s stock is down nearly 25% year-to-date, while competitors such as Microsoft (up 25%), Oracle (up 70%), and SAP (up 10%) have seen solid gains.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Opponents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opponents. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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