enemy
[noun]
Synonyms: foe, adversary, antagonist, competitor, opponent, rival, the opposition, the other side

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Contrasted words: benefactor, friend, supporter, ally, collaborator, colleague, confederate, friendly, adherent, follower, partisan, upholder
Related Words: adversary, antagonist, opponent, assailant, attacker, combatant, invader, competitor, contender, emulator, rival

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English Thesaurus: enemy, adversary, foe, arch enemy, opponent, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

en‧e‧my W2 /ˈenəmi/ noun (plural enemies) [countable]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: enemi, from Latin inimicus, from amicus 'friend']

1. someone who hates you and wants to harm you:
She’s a dangerous enemy to have.
Cats and dogs have always been natural enemies.
an old enemy of her father
make an enemy (of somebody)
a ruthless businessman who made a lot of enemies
the unforgettable sight of the president shaking hands with his sworn enemy (=an enemy you will always hate)
sb’s worst enemy (=the person they hate most)
I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.

2. someone who opposes or competes against you:
political enemies
He was imprisoned for being ‘an enemy of the revolution’.

3. (also the enemy) the country against which your country is fighting in a war:
He was accused of collaboration with the enemy.
enemy forces/aircraft/territory etc
a town behind enemy lines
GRAMMAR
In British English, you can use either a singular verb or a plural verb after the enemy:
The enemy has OR have suffered a major defeat.

4. something that people think is harmful or damaging:
The usual enemies, cigarettes and alcohol, are targeted for tax rises.
The common enemy that united them was communism.

5. be your own worst enemy to behave in a way that causes problems for yourself

6. public enemy number one informal someone famous who has done something bad and who a lot of people do not like:
His views made him public enemy number one in the eyes of the media.

7. the enemy within people in a society etc that other people think are trying to secretly destroy or damage it:
efforts to label environmentalists as the enemy within

8. if one thing is the enemy of another, the second thing cannot exist because the first thing destroys it:
Boredom is the enemy of learning.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

enemy
noun
ADJ. arch, bitter, deadly, great, implacable, mortal, sworn | dangerous, formidable, powerful | ancient, old, traditional In today's match England play their old enemy, Scotland.
chief, main, principal The lion is the zebra's chief enemy.
natural The Church and the Communist Party were natural enemies.
common They united in the face of a common enemy.
political
VERB + ENEMY have She didn't have an enemy in the world.
make He made many enemies during his brief reign. I didn't want to make an enemy of Mr Evans.
attack, fight (against) He was prepared to use any weapon to fight against his enemies.
defeat, destroy | confront, face He turned to face his enemy.
defend sth against, protect sb/sth against/from The cat uses its claws to protect itself against enemies.
deter The skunk releases a pungent smell to deter the enemy.
ENEMY + VERB attack sb/sth
ENEMY + NOUN army, forces, soldiers, troops, unit | defences, front (line), lines, positions, ranks The spies managed to penetrate behind enemy lines.
camp | action, bombing, fire The men came under enemy fire. the first casualty from enemy action
activity Intelligence reported enemy activity just off the coast.
country | territory | aircraft, fighter, plane, ship | propaganda
PREP. against an/the ~ They decided to use the weapon against the enemy.
PHRASES fall into enemy hands The document must not at any price fall into enemy hands.
in the face of the enemy He was shot for desertion in the face of the enemy.
public enemy (number one) Since the scandal, the former minister has become public enemy number one.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

enemy

a great enemy
Henry prepared to fight his great enemy, the king of France.
a main/biggest/greatest enemy
Terrorism is our country’s main enemy.
an arch enemy (=main enemy, used for emphasis)
The comic book character Lex Luthor is Superman’s arch enemy.
bitter enemies (=enemies who hate each other very much)
When these former friends quarrelled over money, they became bitter enemies.
sworn enemies (=enemies who will always hate each other)
The men have been sworn enemies for many years.
a formidable enemy (=a very powerful enemy)
The North Vietnamese army proved to be a formidable enemy.
deadly enemies (=enemies who try to harm each other as much as possible)
France and Germany, once deadly enemies, are now partners in the European Union.
an old/traditional enemy (=one you have had a long time)
In 1548, Scotland moved towards an alliance with her traditional enemy, England.
a common enemy (=one shared by groups of people)
We must work together against the common enemy.
a political enemy
the prime minister’s political enemies
make enemies (=become unfriendly with people)
During her long and turbulent career, she made many enemies.
defend/protect yourself from your enemies
Our country has a right to protect itself from its enemies.
defeat the enemy
We will never defeat our enemies unless we stop fighting each other.
an enemy force (=a military group that is your enemy)
The town is occupied by enemy forces.
an enemy position (=a place controlled by an enemy army)
General Hunt ordered an air strike on the enemy positions.
behind enemy lines (=behind the edge of an area that is controlled by an enemy army)
Men from the First Airborne Division were dropped behind enemy lines.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

enemy someone who does not like you because you have had a big disagreement with them in the past or someone who opposes you in business or politics:
If that’s how he treats his friends, I’d hate to be his enemy.
In business, it’s best not to make too many enemies.
adversary formal an enemy:
When he retired, he was replaced by his old adversary.
He made the fatal mistake of underestimating his adversary.
foe literary an enemy:
A guard called out ‘Who goes there – friend or foe?’
his former foes
arch enemy someone’s main enemy:
In the movie, Batman goes into battle with his arch enemy the Joker.
opponent someone you are competing against, for example in a sports game, competition, or election:
You win the game if you are left with more cards than your opponent.
He is admired even by his political opponents.
nemesis written an enemy or opponent that is impossible to defeat – a rather formal use:
In the final, he met his old nemesis, Rafael Nadal.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲