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opponent

[uh-poh-nuhnt]

Example Sentences Origin

noun

a person who is on an opposing side in a game, contest, controversy, or the like; adversary.

adjective

being opposite, as in position.

opposing; adverse; antagonistic.

Anatomy. bringing parts together or into opposition, as a muscle.

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Opponent is always a great word to know.

So is cavity. Does it mean:

a glandular organ functioning in the secretion of bile and metabolic processes such as converting sugars located in the upper right abdominal cavity

a hollow space within the body, an organ or a bone

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Origin:
1580–90; < Latin oppōnent- (stem of oppōnēns, present participle of oppōnere to place over, against, or in front of, make an obstacle), equivalent to op- op- + pōn(ere) to place, set, put + -ent- -ent

Synonyms
1. antagonist. Opponent, competitor, rival refer to persons engaged in a contest. Opponent is the most impersonal, meaning merely one who opposes; perhaps one who continually blocks and frustrates or one who happens to be on the opposite side in a temporary contest: an opponent in a debate. Competitor emphasizes the action in striving against another, or others, for a definite, common goal: competitors in business. Rival has both personal and emotional connotations; it emphasizes the idea that (usually) two persons are struggling to attain the same object: rivals for an office.

Antonyms
1. ally, friend.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To opponent

Example Sentences

If an opponent hesitates, it is perfectly proper to draw conclusions but you do so at your own risk.

Already an opponent of the death penalty, he was prompted by the courtroom experience to chronicle the uphill.

Any columnist or opponent of the president will use it to poke fun at him.

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If an opponent hesitates, it is perfectly proper to draw conclusions but you do so at your own risk.

Already an opponent of the death penalty, he was prompted by the courtroom experience to chronicle the uphill.

Any columnist or opponent of the president will use it to poke fun at him.

Historically, scoring for tournaments was based largely on if a knight could break his spear on his opponent.

Most such conflicts end with a third party intervening, usually in favor of one opponent.

Evidence that such conclusions worked in his favor could be found in the failure of his opponent to bring up torture as an issue.

Quickplay lets you choose your player and opponent for practice.

Her opponent proposed a rematch, and repeated games led to chatting about their personal lives.

One opponent of the new model has characterized the separate board as a divorce with negative consequences for the children.

Bereft of leverage, it can be pushed back to its bottom line by a clever opponent.

The object is to move more beads into your goal than your opponent moves into his or hers.

People try harder to beat a weakling than to topple a higher-ranked opponent.

But for me, gaining a lifelong, live-in opponent was the icing on the wedding cake.

The trick is trying to guess what your opponent is going to do.

Misrepresent and ridicule your opponent in order to make his/her arguments appear inconsequential.

He has campaigned with more style, intelligence and discipline than his opponent.

If you are overwhelmed by your opponent it is because you failed to train as hard as they did.

Let us get on to the problem of programming a computer to play checkers against an opponent.

The chess game offers a computer-controlled opponent with three skill levels.

Meanwhile, your political opponent will hammer you with negative ads about how you freed rapists.

Many territorial battles are fought w/ tails to smack the opponent.

His leadership and tactical skill in battle made him a formidable opponent.

Players determine whether an opponent is within a few hundred yards of them, then fire messages the opponent's way.

If a human opponent plays a perfect game, he or she can only hope for a tie.

Finally, an opportunity to pummel that snarky opponent who forced you to sacrifice your rook.

Any hockey videogame player pines for the moment when he can zero in on an opponent to check into the boards.

Now science faces their toughest opponent yet, an ignorant population.

Each player determines in which playing area his opponent may play.

Gossip is therefore one of the best methods to hurt your opponent.

In this way, they appear to be right, knowing their opponent cannot release the full side of their story.

Revealing a hidden fact late in a campaign is a common ploy to damage an opponent beyond recovery before an election.

Acceleration can make you a winner, even if your opponent can ultimately run faster than you.

Once you try to make your opponent look bad, it means your argument is over, and that you have nothing else to argue with.

Religion is the main opponent of population control.

Attacking with gusto is not a sure thing either against a wily opponent.

IF you have not won in the opening and or the middle game, it is time to serve your opponent an end game.

Then, paint your opponent as having an extreme position.

My opponent points to the book publishing industry as an illustration of the effectiveness of the copyright system.

Play against your opponent as well as the powerful forces of magnetic attraction.

But in practice, it has been the main opponent of the new system.

In this game, position your buildings within the perimeter while preventing your opponent from doing the same.

These biological responses are even more pronounced when people face an opponent they have come to know and.

Air combat, by the way, is the special combat system that kicks in every time you end up pushing your opponent into a long fall.

They base their decision on their own perceived strength compared with how strong they believe their opponent to.

My father was struggling too–his opponent was twice his size and younger than he was.

With no easy way to get at them, the opponent is then left with few to no ways to.

Players take turns dropping more and more tokens on a grid, trying to box in their opponent.

In any football game both teams square off against each other and against a shared opponent as well-gravity.

Accuse your opponent of your misdeeds so that the response with the ring of truth is diminished.

Floating in a slow ball to trick an over zealous opponent to hit before the bounce.

Then your opponent uses a little catapult to fling little plastic birds at the structure, scoring points for knocking it down.

If your stream is stronger, your milk-stream knocks your opponent out of the ring.

There is a question at the top, then before your opponent you have to click on the picture that represents the answer.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

opponent (əˈpəʊnənt)

—n
1.	a person who opposes another in a contest, battle, etc
2.	anatomy an opponent muscle

—*adj*
3.	opposite, as in position
4.	anatomy (of a muscle) bringing two parts into opposition
5.	opposing; contrary

[C16: from Latin oppōnere to oppose, from ob- against + pōnere to place]

op'ponency

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

opponent

1588, from L. opponentem (nom. opponens), prp. of opponere "oppose, object to, set against," from ob "against" + ponere "to put, set, place" (see position).

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opponent

op·po·nent