oppose

oppose — verb

1. to say or show that you are against someone or something, often by trying to sto

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to say or show that you are against someone or something, often by trying to stop it

Example

At the meeting, many parents opposed closing the village school.

oppose + -ing form

Lina opposed the new road because it would cut through farms.

Common collocations
  • oppose a law
  • oppose a proposal
  • oppose change
  • strongly oppose
Synonyms
  • resist

    often stresses forceful action against pressure or control

  • object to

    usually sounds milder and more formal than oppose

  • protest

    often suggests public complaint or group action

  • challenge

    focuses on questioning or arguing against something

Antonyms
  • support

    means to approve of and help something

  • back

    more informal; often used for giving active support

Grammar Patterns

oppose + noun

oppose + -ing form

Usage Note

Often used with plans, laws, changes, and proposals. Distinguish from sense 2, which is about facing another side in a contest, not disagreeing with an idea or action.

Common Mistakes

Many people were opposed the plan.
Many people opposed the plan.
As a verb, oppose does not take be before it.

2. to face someone as the other side in a game, match, or other contest

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to face someone as the other side in a game, match, or other contest

Example

Our school will oppose the city champions in Saturday's final.

formal use in sports reports

In her first match, Chen Mei opposed the top seed.

Common collocations
  • oppose the champions
  • oppose the top seed
  • oppose each other
Synonyms
  • face

    the most common everyday choice for meeting an opponent

  • play

    common in sports, especially team games

  • meet

    often used in formal sports schedules and reports

  • compete against

    emphasizes the contest rather than the pairing

Grammar Patterns

oppose + person / team in a contest

Usage Note

Common in formal sports or contest writing. Everyday English more often uses face, play, or meet, and this sense needs an object naming the other player, team, or side.

Common Mistakes

Our team opposed in the final.
Our team opposed the city champions in the final.
This sense needs an object that names the other side.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

For verb/1, oppose is a broad word for being against a person, plan, or action, often with some effort to stop it. Resist usually stresses force or pressure, as in resisting arrest or resisting change. Object to is often milder and common in meetings, complaints, or polite disagreement. Protest usually suggests public action, signs, or angry statements from a group. Challenge focuses on questioning a rule, claim, or decision, and it does not always mean trying to block it completely. You can oppose a school closure, object to a fee, resist a demand, or challenge a decision. For example, parents opposed the closure, but one parent objected to the lunch price.

resist ↗object toprotest ↗challenge ↗

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Oppose came into English through French from Latin opponere, built from ob- meaning "against" and ponere meaning "put" or "place". The earliest idea was putting one thing against another. From that image, English developed the modern sense of standing against a person, plan, or action, and later the formal contest sense of meeting an opponent.