oppose

v., -posed, -pos·ing, -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.

idiom:

as opposed to

1. In contrast to: "a Baroque violin that ... uses gut strings as opposed to metal-wound ones" (William Zagorski).

[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).]

opposer op·pos'er n.

SYNONYMS   oppose, fight, combat, resist, withstand, contest. 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.

verb

1. To place in opposition or be in opposition to: counter, match, pit¹, play off. Idioms: bump heads with, meet head-on, setbeat odds, setbeat someone's throat, tradeblowspunches. See support/oppose.
2. To take a stand against: buck, challenge, contest, dispute, resist, traverse. See support/oppose.

v

Definition: compare, play off
Antonyms: join, participate

v

Definition: fight, obstruct
Antonyms: aid, assist, favor, help, promote, support

---

A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce

v.

To assist with obstructions and objections.

    How lonely he who thinks to vex
    With bandinage the Solemn Sex!
    Of levity, Mere Man, beware;
    None but the Grave deserve the Unfair.
                                                     Percy P. Orminder

---

IN BRIEF: To resist something.

She felt it her duty as club president to oppose the decision.

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - modstå, modsætte sig, bekæmpe, opponere mod
v. intr. - gøre indsigelser

Nederlands (Dutch)
bestrijden, weerstreven, bezwaar uiten tegen, betwisten, zich kanten tegen, weerstaan

Français (French)
v. tr. - (gén, Pol) s'opposer à, faire opposition à
v. intr. - s'opposer à

Deutsch (German)
v. - ablehnen, entgegenstellen, gegenüberstellen, sich widersetzen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - καταπολεμώ, αντιτίθεμαι, εναντιώνομαι, αντικρούω, αντιτάσσω, προβάλλω, αντιπαραθέτω, καταψηφίζω

Italiano (Italian)
contestare, combattere, opporsi a, essere contrario a, fare opposizione a

Português (Portuguese)
v. - opor, obstar

Русский (Russian)
противопоставлять, возражать

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - oponer, oponerse, resistirse
v. intr. - oponerse, resistirse

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - opponera (sig), motsätta (sig), motarbeta, sätta sig emot

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
反对, 使对抗, 使对立

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 反對, 使對抗, 使對立
v. intr. - 反對

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 반대하다, 방해하다, 대립시키다, 마주보게 하다
v. intr. - 반대하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 対抗する, 反対する, 妨害物として置く, 対峙させる, 向かい合わせる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يعارض‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮התנגד, טען נגד, עיין את, התעמת עם, התחרה עם‬
v. intr. - ‮עמד מול‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.