1
general::
person
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.
country/army
enemy
a country or army that you are fighting against in a war:
• Soldiers who were captured by the enemy suffered terribly.
foe
written an enemy:
• The Russian Army were a formidable foe.
Longman-Thesaurus
3
general::
enemy
adjectives
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
verbs
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/beat the enemy
• We will never defeat our enemies unless we stop fighting each other.
nouns
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.
phrases
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.
transnet.ir
4
general::
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.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary