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opposed

 - 4 dictionary results

op⋅pose

[uh-pohz] verb, -posed, -pos⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to act against or provide resistance to; combat.
2. to stand in the way of; hinder; obstruct.
3. to set as an opponent or adversary.
4. to be hostile or adverse to, as in opinion: to oppose a resolution in a debate.
5. to set as an obstacle or hindrance.
6. to set against in some relation, esp. as to demonstrate a comparison or contrast: to oppose advantages to disadvantages.
7. to use or take as being opposite or contrary.
8. to set (something) over against something else in place, or to set (two things) so as to face or be opposite to one another.
–verb (used without object)
9. to be or act in opposition.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME < OF opposer, b. L oppōnere to set against and OF poser to pose 1 , associated with the L ptp. oppositus


op⋅pos⋅er, noun
op⋅pos⋅ing⋅ly, adverb


1. confront, contravene. Oppose, resist, withstand imply setting up a force against something. The difference between oppose and resist is somewhat that between offensive and defensive action. To oppose is mainly to fight against, in order to thwart, certain tendencies or procedures of which one does not approve: The lobbyists opposed the passage of the bill. Resist suggests that the subject is already threatened by the forces, or by the imminent possibility, against which he or she struggles: to resist temptation. Again, whereas oppose always suggests an attitude of great disapproval, resist may imply an inner struggle in which the will is divided: She tried unsuccessfully to resist the temptation to eat dessert. Withstand generally implies successful resistance; it may refer to endurance that allows one to emerge unharmed (to withstand a shock), as well as to active resistance: to withstand an attack. 2. prevent. 4. contradict.


1. support, help.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To opposed
op·pose   (ə-pōz')   
v.   op·posed, op·pos·ing, op·pos·es

v.   tr.
  1. To be in contention or conflict with: oppose the enemy force.

  2. To be resistant to: opposes new ideas.

  3. To place opposite in contrast or counterbalance.

  4. To place so as to be opposite something else.

v.   intr.
To act or be in opposition.

[Middle English opposen, to question, interrogate, from Old French opposer, alteration (influenced by poser, to place) of Latin oppōnere, to oppose (ob-, against; see ob- + pōnere, to put; see apo- in Indo-European roots).]
op·pos'er n.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to set someone or something in opposition to another: Oppose has the widest application: opposed the building of a nuclear power plant. "The idea is inconsistent with our constitutional theory and has been stubbornly opposed ... since the early days of the Republic" (E.B. White).
Fight and combat suggest vigor and aggressiveness: "All my life I have fought against prejudice and intolerance" (Harry S. Truman). "We are not afraid ... to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it" (Thomas Jefferson).
To resist is to strive to fend off or offset the actions, effects, or force of: "Pardon was freely extended to all who had resisted the invasion" (John R. Green).
Withstand often implies successful resistance: "Neither the southern provinces, nor Sicily, could have withstood his power" (Henry Hallam).
To contest is to call something into question and take an active stand against it: contested her neighbor's claims to her property in court.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

oppose 
c.1386, from O.Fr. opposer, from O.Fr. poser "to place, lay down" (see pose), blended with L. opponere "oppose, object to, set against" (see opponent). Opposable in ref. to thumbs is from 1833.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: op·pose
Pronunciation: &-'pOz
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: op·posed; op·pos·ing
: to place the ball of (a first digit) against the corresponding part of a second digit of the same hand or foot oppose the big toe as freely as the thumb>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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