opponentnoun [ C ]
uk/əˈpəʊ.nənt/us/əˈpoʊ.nənt/B2 a person who disagrees with something and speaks against it or tries to change it:
a political opponent
Leading opponents of the proposed cuts in defence spending will meet later today.
B2 a person who someone is competing against in a sports event:
In the second game, her opponent hurt her leg and had to retire.
More examples
- She had a decided advantage over her opponent.
- She hit the ball so hard that her opponent had no chance to establish any rhythm in her game.
- Turner's opponent in the quarter-finals of the darts is the No. 1 seed.
- Targeting the opponent's weak spots is a typical technique in politics.
- His bad behaviour provided plenty of ammunition for his opponents.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Opposing & against
- against
- anti
- anti-
- antithesis
- boycott
- bugger, sod, etc. this for a lark! idiom
- conscientious objector
- counter
- defy
- detractor
- down with...! idiom
- foam pie
- go against sth/sb
- objection
- objector
- oppose
- opposing
- point of order
- run against sb/sth
- stand
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Enemies & rivals
Competitors & participants in sports & games