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
Although Lerner later resigned, the controversy became a lasting symbol of what Republicans call the weaponization of government against ideological opponents.
—
Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2025
Critics say that Trump is using Kirk's assassination as a pretext to crack down on political opponents.
—Trevor Hunnicutt, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
The alternative to stepping up is watching our democracy continue its descent into tribal warfare where political opponents become enemies to be eliminated rather than fellow citizens to be persuaded.
—Margie Warrell, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Hewitt asked Barrett about a passage in her book that discusses sparring with intellectual opponents.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
White’s opponents in the legislature, including Sean Smith and Manuel Abarca IV, have also hinted that other candidacies could be announced closer to the recall.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2025
Miami only let opponents sack Cam Ward 23 times in 2024, a rate that was near the middle nationally.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
Looking back at Charlotte’s recent FCS opponents, dating back to 2021, the 49ers haven’t won the turnover battle in any of the four matchups, resulting in uncomfortably close games and even a lopsided loss to William & Mary in 2022.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
From understanding the playbook, detecting an opponents’ strategy to developing leadership traits, there’s a lot of pressure to perform.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 10 Sep. 2025
Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2025
Critics say that Trump is using Kirk's assassination as a pretext to crack down on political opponents.
—Trevor Hunnicutt, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
The alternative to stepping up is watching our democracy continue its descent into tribal warfare where political opponents become enemies to be eliminated rather than fellow citizens to be persuaded.
—Margie Warrell, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Hewitt asked Barrett about a passage in her book that discusses sparring with intellectual opponents.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
White’s opponents in the legislature, including Sean Smith and Manuel Abarca IV, have also hinted that other candidacies could be announced closer to the recall.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2025
Miami only let opponents sack Cam Ward 23 times in 2024, a rate that was near the middle nationally.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
Looking back at Charlotte’s recent FCS opponents, dating back to 2021, the 49ers haven’t won the turnover battle in any of the four matchups, resulting in uncomfortably close games and even a lopsided loss to William & Mary in 2022.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
From understanding the playbook, detecting an opponents’ strategy to developing leadership traits, there’s a lot of pressure to perform.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opponents
Noun
-
The teams may again meet this weekend in a match-up that will again stoke the political machinations between the foes.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Master Chief, much like the Doom Slayer, dwarfed most of his foes and was nigh-on invulnerable.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Such enemies can have many faces, and the government has gained increasing latitude in picking them out to serve its agenda.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Instead, Cam refuses and uses a sword to slice and gut his enemies.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
With Bowers back in the lineup, the Raiders can take on their rivals with the same strong offense that showed up against the Patriots.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
-
United Airlines' expansion, however, is outpacing its large airline rivals, a plan CEO Scott Kirby told CNBC is paying off because of the company's product, network and technology, like onboard amenities such as Bluetooth connectivity, seat-back screens and its app.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Both Freedom Edge and Resolute Dragon have drawn criticism from adversaries.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
16 Sep. 2025
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Officials in Moscow have also warned that NATO's actions against such craft would constitute a dangerous escalation of the standoff between Moscow and its Western adversaries.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Experience More, for example, includes Netflix and Apple TV+, in-flight Wi-Fi, and 60GB of hotspot data for $140 per month with three lines on AutoPay—about $50 less than competitors.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Dell Technologies’ ObjectScale and NetApp’s StorageGRID are the closest competitors.—
Steve McDowell,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Opponents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opponents. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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