noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a forceful personality/character/opponent etc
▪ He gained a reputation as a forceful member of the party.
vocal opponent/critic/supporter etc
▪ She was a vocal opponent of the plan.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
chief
▪ Supporters of Mr Paul Davies, his chief opponent, believe he won on the second ballot.
▪ Anton von Werner, chief Secession opponent, was not an anti-semite.
▪ Mr Smith's chief opponent, Mr Bryan Gould, does have an explanation.
▪ Gregory's chief opponent in Tours in the late 570's was the comes Leudast.
▪ In the political crisis of 1258, however, John Fitzgeoffrey was one of the king's chief opponents.
democratic
▪ Clinton has a full war chest and no Democratic opponent to worry about.
▪ His rise to Senate majority leader was in no small measure a reward for his debating success against Democratic opponents.
▪ He has challenged his Democratic opponent in electorally more productive areas, such as public funding for abortions.
▪ It was time to start training for the real battle in November against their Democratic opponents.
▪ His Democratic opponent in the election in October would be Bennet Johnston who had held the seat for 18 years.
▪ Men favored Republican candidates over their Democratic opponents, 51 percent to 47 percent.
formidable
▪ The character who can maintain such an idea is a formidable opponent to established order.
▪ A formidable opponent, I suspect.
▪ She had no vision of money as an independent power, or a formidable opponent.
▪ Durable Free State prop Piet Bester has proved a technically formidable opponent.
leading
▪ Mr Rutskoi has emerged as a leading opponent of the economic reforms introduced by his boss, Boris Yeltsin.
▪ At a national level, Sherland was closely involved with the leading Puritan opponents of Crown policies.
▪ The National Front, where most leading opponents l had grouped, could not operate at home, but it re-formed abroad.
main
▪ The main opponent was Justice Minister David Libai.
political
▪ Many councils are controlled by their political opponents, even in areas where Conservatives hold parliamentary seats with quite large majorities.
▪ In his early days, as congressman, senator and vice president, he was a vicious political opponent.
▪ Three hours into his term, a group of political opponents arrived, declared the city in chaos and demanded Gonzalez resign.
▪ Growing confrontation with political opponents rapidly became a method of obtaining much-needed publicity, once Rothermere's support had evaporated.
▪ None of us reckoned on the combined firepower of the national spotlight, powerful political opponents and, yes, our shortcomings.
▪ That was one way of looking at it-modern political opponents.
▪ The president has denied the allegations, which he said were fabricated by his political opponents.
republican
▪ Wilder narrowly defeated his Republican opponent in November 1989, his 6,700-vote victory being confirmed only after a recount.
▪ She was almost certain to defeat her Republican opponent Maurice Turner, a former police chief, in the November election.
▪ Many GOPers thought he made the offer to protect himself from Republican opponents on Capitol Hill.
▪ His vigorous attacks on his Republican opponent and Dewey's polite, complacent campaign made a sharp contrast.
▪ But he and his Republican Congressional opponents have yet to decide on a seven-year plan to balance the budget.
▪ Both his interventions greatly aided Bill Clinton in defeating his Republican opponents.
strong
▪ Animals also restrain their aggression because it is disadvantageous to fight stronger opponents - it is better to run away.
▪ Phil Gramm, against whom he will square off in the Louisiana caucuses next week, his strongest opponent.
▪ The Liberal victory in Quebec was a personal victory for Chretien, a strong opponent of separatism.
▪ The strongest opponents are business groups.
▪ If an animal is to avoid fighting with another, stronger animal, it must first test how strong his opponent is.
▪ Though there are strong opponents, munchkin aficionados remain steadfast.
vocal
▪ Many are vocal opponents of liberalised international markets in general.
▪ Fife Symington has been a vocal opponent of a Proposition 187 movement in Arizona.
▪ Switchboard became a vocal opponent of the tactics, providing material for parliamentary and media attacks upon the practices.
▪ Has Visa International -- one of the most vocal opponents of so-called ambush marketing -- ended up ambushing itself?
▪ As his more vocal opponents began to demand his resignation, Wahid insisted he still had Megawati's support.
worthy
▪ Belfast proved worthy opponents, attacking tenaciously and not giving at the back.
▪ The 49ers want to validate their 7-1 first-half record with a victory over a worthy opponent.
▪ An Orc's life is therefore spent in constant battle either with his fellow Orcs or against some worthy opponent.
▪ Roper, who is as sharp with a put-down as he is with a knockdown, has run out of worthy opponents.
▪ Thus, we respect a worthy opponent in the sense that we are alert to his strength.
▪ Hilary, he's not a worthy opponent.
■ NOUN
abortion
▪ Buchanan, however, said she was pleased by the selection of abortion opponent Rep.
▪ Buchanan made a special appeal to abortion opponents, a group of voters whose support he generally shares with Gramm and Keyes.
▪ Still, Buchanan appeals to abortion opponents, gun rights advocates and religious conservatives.
▪ Throughout the 1992 election campaign, it became quite clear just how vehemently abortion opponents feared the coming of a pro-choice president.
▪ Henry Hyde, R-Ill., a longtime abortion opponent tapped by Dole to chair the committee crafting the official party platform.
▪ The draft retains the abortion rights position of the 1992 platform, but adds language suggested by abortion opponent Rep.
▪ All calls for accommodation masked the gulf that divides abortion opponents and supporters.
■ VERB
attack
▪ Instead of building a case for ourselves we attack the opponent or his case.
▪ Nevertheless, while Daley avoided attacking his opponent, the Machine was traveling its usual course.
▪ Will they view it as an opportunity to attack their opponents or deliver empty palaver?
▪ That way, the press could attack his opponent personally.
beat
▪ The Belfast pair then joined forces to beat the same opponents 6-4 6-0 in the doubles.
▪ In the final, played at Coombe Hill Golf Club, she beat her opponent 5 and 4.
▪ The 18-year-old from North Shields beat off eight opponents and a tendon injury to take the lead after the opening compulsory figures.
▪ The Women's World Heavyweight Champion had defended her title at three consecutive events, each time soundly beating her opponents.
▪ Quickly drawing back his hand, he must decide in a split second whether to run, or physically beat his opponent.
▪ The more energy you get, the easier it is to beat opponents.
▪ He needed seven match points before beating his opponent.
▪ He beat opponents who outweighed him by 70 or 80 pounds.
defeat
▪ Wilder narrowly defeated his Republican opponent in November 1989, his 6,700-vote victory being confirmed only after a recount.
▪ Dole survived with a tactic that haunts him to this day: He used the abortion issue to defeat his opponent.
▪ In their first test at the polls as premiers, they were both defeated by conservative opponents.
▪ Both his interventions greatly aided Bill Clinton in defeating his Republican opponents.
▪ She was almost certain to defeat her Republican opponent Maurice Turner, a former police chief, in the November election.
▪ It has leveled the electoral playing field and allowed less well-funded candidates to defeat their better-financed opponents.
face
▪ We faced lacklustre opponents in the depth of recession.
▪ Despite all of the power and advantages of chess computers, many players would rather face a human opponent.
▪ He will face his next opponent unarmed.
▪ His son faces a tougher opponent in Al Gore.
▪ UConn might face some opponents who like such an up-tempo transition, but Virginia is not one of them.
▪ The Bruins face an opponent that likes to use each and every second of the shot clock.
▪ No, this time the Man of Steel faces a much deadlier opponent: Apathy.
lead
▪ Thereafter he quickly became its most renowned liberal member, leading some opponents to accuse him of judicial activism.
▪ Y., and a leading opponent of the bill.
▪ We have an attorney general who was a leading opponent of gun control in the Senate.
play
▪ Sir John fenced on, parrying sideways, backwards and forwards, playing with his opponents.
▪ Capablanca the return match he deserved, but charitably agreed to play such less dangerous opponents as Yefim Bogolyubov and Max Euwe.
▪ His team would appear to be playing their opponents in reverse of their ranking order.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Brownlee regards Reaney as his most difficult opponent.
▪ Carson is Seymour's main opponent for the Republican Senate nomination.
▪ In some countries, any opponent of the government is likely to lose their job.
▪ Karpov defeated his 24-year-old opponent in 57 moves.
▪ Manchester United will prove a formidable opponent this season.
▪ My opponent was much older than I was.
▪ My opponent was the same age and height as myself.
▪ One notable opponent of the proposal was the mayor.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ He is also expected to have complete trust in his opponent in spite of all indications to the contrary.
▪ Highbrow publishers and small bookshops are the most resolute opponents.
▪ His opponent will be lucky to get seventy thousand Republicans interested enough to cast a primary vote.
▪ His opponents dismiss his rise in the polls as a mere matter of money.
▪ Like their rivals, they expect no gifts, no walkovers against an opponent who has lost heart and given up.
▪ There has been no discussion of Denver, the Raiders' opponent on Oct. 19.