opponents

noun

plural of opponent
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

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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

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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 But by defending in this way, Chelsea are giving smart opponents the advantage in the battle for possession. — Jon MacKenzie, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026 But neither opponents nor his own Labour Party legislators have been able to grill him on the details of pledges made against the tough backdrop of mounting security challenges and economic pressure from the Iran war. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 Melanie Melanie came to this reunion prepared with both facts and a prosecutorial confrontation style that effectively intimidates all of her on-stage opponents. — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026 But regardless of potential opponents, Alcaraz isn’t looking that far ahead. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026 Sierra Canyon and Palos Verdes took on opponents from Florida last week and won. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 That happened because the transition to the NCAA took place quickly, and other Big Sky teams didn’t have room in their schedules to accommodate BSU, who had the two nonconference opponents count. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 31 Aug. 2026 During Putin’s first 20 years in power, his political opponents were rarely charged with political crimes. — Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026 The Department of Justice has launched pretextual prosecutions against the President’s political opponents. — Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opponents
  1. foes
  2. enemies
  3. rivals
  4. adversaries
  5. competitors
Noun
  • Only five of their 2026 opponents had winning records last season, and their nine league opponents combined for a 28-53 record against Big Ten foes.
    — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • But this season, their division foes haven’t gotten any easier, and the rest of the league is out to test whether quarterback Sam Darnold can maintain last season’s star-worthy production.
    — NBC Sports, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of foes
Noun
  • As old enemies and unfinished business resurface, Paul is drawn deeper into a struggle for justice and redemption against a wider network of corruption and abuse of power in contemporary Nigeria.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026
  • His father’s political enemies used his problems with crack to try and erode trust in the Biden administration.
    — David Manheim, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of enemies
Noun
  • Casemiro and Messi, fierce rivals when Casemiro was at Real Madrid and Messi at Barcelona, celebrated together, a rare sight for longtime La Liga fans.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Walmart had been slow to adopt tap-to-pay compared with rivals.
    — Kimberly Tutuska, Charlotte Observer, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of rivals
Noun
  • However, the threat has only grown in complexity, as other foreign adversaries, including Iran, have ramped up efforts to undermine confidence in the American electoral system and advocate for their preferred candidates and policies.
    — Jenna McLaughlin, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026
  • He's argued that allowing foreign adversaries like China to outpace the US in developing AI could be a risk to national security, but his administration has been very supportive of AI despite the growing backlash.
    — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of adversaries
Noun
  • The season brings back the franchise’s ‘Cutthroat’ format, splitting 24 competitors into three teams battling for a share of $500,000.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Look at how competitors communicate their value, answer customer questions, appear in search, structure digital journeys and guide prospects toward conversion.
    — James Fratzke, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of competitors

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opponent
opponents
opportune
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Cite this Entry

“Opponents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opponents. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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