1
as in foe
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 enemy
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 opponent
The Jumbos have outscored their opponents, 266-142, as Jack Regnery (43 goals, 31 assists) and Brooks Hauser (46 and 14) lead the offense.
—
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 2026
The nerds at Orson’s school are going to need an extra-large scoreboard to hold all the points opponents will be scoring on them.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
The Cubs had outscored their opponents 72-31 during their 10-game winning streak entering Saturday.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 26 Apr. 2026
Alongside solid 3-and-D players like Veronica Burton and Kayla Thornton, Williams adds to a team that has the defensive versatility to make any game tough for their opponents.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for opponent
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 2026
The nerds at Orson’s school are going to need an extra-large scoreboard to hold all the points opponents will be scoring on them.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
The Cubs had outscored their opponents 72-31 during their 10-game winning streak entering Saturday.
—Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 26 Apr. 2026
Alongside solid 3-and-D players like Veronica Burton and Kayla Thornton, Williams adds to a team that has the defensive versatility to make any game tough for their opponents.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for opponent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opponent
Noun
-
Mason Gadbois led the attack with five goals to go with a pair of assists, as Danvers rallied to topple Northeastern Conference foe Winthrop, 13-11.—
Brian Roach,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Golden suggested national champion Michigan and in-state foe Miami as possibilities.—
Mark Long,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These are effective, but require attacks to be initiated from outside enemy airspace.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
-
People of faith are not so easily deterred from speaking truth to power, even to power unafraid to drop bombs on its enemies.—
Ciera Bates-Chamberlain,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Roster-building gamesmanship ensued between the rivals.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Brian Clough went one better with Nottingham Forest in 1977-78, winning the league and then the European Cup with Derby’s East Midlands neighbours and arch-rivals immediately upon earning promotion.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
None of this would’ve been possible without Lively and Baldoni, adversaries whose spite and resources compelled them to continue to pursue litigation when just about everyone else in their positions would have quickly settled in the cloaked realm of arbitration.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Few, however, anticipated that Washington’s mismanagement of the post-Saddam order would open the door for Iran to penetrate a former adversary and build influence from within.—
Alaa Shahine Salha,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Opponent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opponent. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
