plural enemies
1
: one that is antagonistic to another
especially
: one seeking to injure, overthrow, or confound an opponent
2
: something harmful or deadly
alcohol was his greatest enemy
3
a
: a military adversary
b
: a hostile unit or force
Examples of enemy in a Sentence
He made a lot of enemies during the course of his career.
Tradition is the enemy of progress.
Recent Examples on the Web
This go round, audiences saw them being buried alive, interrogated by the enemy for hours, running mercilessly, and jumping off a bridge.
—
Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 6 Feb. 2025
The Trump administration’s version of justice rewards his friends and excludes his enemies.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2025
The president could use that power to send money to his friends, to deny money to his enemies, to send money only to Republican states and not to Democratic states.
—Ally Schweitzer, NPR, 4 Feb. 2025
President Trump is now a step closer to installing a loyalist in the nation's highest law enforcement role, empowering a MAGA overhaul of the Justice Department that could include investigating his political enemies.
—Axios, 4 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for enemy 
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Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 6 Feb. 2025
The Trump administration’s version of justice rewards his friends and excludes his enemies.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2025
The president could use that power to send money to his friends, to deny money to his enemies, to send money only to Republican states and not to Democratic states.
—Ally Schweitzer, NPR, 4 Feb. 2025
President Trump is now a step closer to installing a loyalist in the nation's highest law enforcement role, empowering a MAGA overhaul of the Justice Department that could include investigating his political enemies.
—Axios, 4 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for enemy
Dictionary Entries Near enemy
Cite this Entry
“Enemy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enemy. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
enemy
noun
en·e·my
ˈen-ə-mē 
plural enemies
1
: one that tries to hurt or overthrow or that seeks the failure of another
2
: something that harms
3
a
: a nation with which a country is at war
b
: a military force or a person belonging to such a nation
Etymology
Middle English enemi "enemy," from early French enemi (same meaning), from Latin inimicus (same meaning), from in- "not" and amicus "friend"
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