OPPONENT


Meaning of OPPONENT in English

op ‧ po ‧ nent W3 /əˈpəʊnənt $ əˈpoʊ-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]

[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: present participle of opponere ; ⇨ ↑ oppose ]

1 . someone who you try to defeat in a competition, game, fight, or argument:

Graf’s opponent in today’s final will be Sukova.

leading/main/chief opponent

During the primary elections, McCain was Bush’s leading opponent.

formidable/worthy opponent

In debate he was a formidable opponent.

He is admired even by his political opponents.

2 . someone who disagrees with a plan, idea, or system and wants to try to stop or change it OPP proponent

opponent of

Rodgers was not an opponent of the new airport.

bitter/vocal/outspoken opponent

an outspoken opponent of gun control

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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)

■ adjectives

▪ somebody's main/chief opponent

Who was her main opponent for the presidential nomination?

▪ a leading opponent (=one of the main opponents)

In July the authorities arrested two leading opponents of the government.

▪ a strong/tough opponent (=one that is difficult to defeat)

Arizona is a strong opponent, but the Oregon team intend to beat them.

▪ a formidable opponent (=a very strong opponent)

In debate, he was a formidable opponent.

▪ a dangerous opponent (=one who might defeat you)

In tomorrow's match, he will take on his most dangerous opponent.

▪ a political opponent

the President's political opponents

▪ a worthy opponent (=one who deserves respect)

The Democratic Senator has shown himself to be a worthy opponent.

■ verbs

▪ face an opponent

The team were facing their final opponent of the season.

▪ defeat an opponent

She came within three points of defeating her opponent.

▪ outfox/outwit/outmanoeuvre an opponent (=gain an advantage over an opponent by being more intelligent or skilful than they are)

Football is all about outwitting your opponents.

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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)

■ adjectives

▪ the main/chief opponent

one of the new law's main opponents

▪ a leading opponent (=one of the main opponents, often influencing other people)

She was a leading opponent of gun control in the Senate.

▪ a strong opponent (=one who feels strongly that a particular thing is wrong and tries to stop it)

Brennan was a strong opponent of the death penalty.

▪ a fierce/bitter opponent (=a very strong opponent, who often expresses their opinions angrily)

She became well-known as a bitter opponent of slavery.

▪ a vigorous opponent (=one who opposes something with a lot of energy and determination)

a vigorous opponent of the use of nuclear weapons

▪ an outspoken/vocal opponent (=one who publicly expresses disagreement with something)

He was a vocal opponent of closer relations with the United States.

▪ a vociferous opponent (=one who publicly expresses very strong disagreement)

Many residents were vociferous opponents of the plan.

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THESAURUS

■ person

▪ enemy someone who does not like you because you have had a big disagreement with them in the past or someone who opposes you in business or politics:

If that’s how he treats his friends, I’d hate to be his enemy.

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In business, it’s best not to make too many enemies.

▪ adversary formal an enemy:

When he retired, he was replaced by his old adversary.

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He made the fatal mistake of underestimating his adversary.

▪ foe literary an enemy:

A guard called out ‘Who goes there – friend or foe?’

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his former foes

▪ arch enemy someone’s main enemy:

In the movie, Batman goes into battle with his arch enemy the Joker.

▪ opponent someone you are competing against, for example in a sports game, competition, or election:

You win the game if you are left with more cards than your opponent.

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He is admired even by his political opponents.

▪ nemesis written an enemy or opponent that is impossible to defeat – a rather formal use:

In the final, he met his old nemesis, Rafael Nadal.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.