oppose
/əˈpəʊz/
verb
-
to disagree strongly with or resist something, such as a plan, law, or idea, and try to stop it
B1transitive; also followed by an -ing form
- "Many people oppose the new road."A2
- "Many residents oppose building a new road through the park."B1
- "The committee opposed the proposal on environmental grounds."B2
- "She has consistently opposed reform of the voting system, arguing that it would weaken local accountability."C1
-
to compete against or fight someone in an election, game, or contest
B2transitive
- "Our team will oppose theirs in the final."B1
- "He will oppose the current mayor in next year's election."B1
- "No one dared to oppose her for the leadership of the party."B2
- "The champion was opposed by a relatively unknown player from Belgium."C1
Common mistakes
- I oppose to the new law.→I oppose the new law. / I am opposed to the new law.
Use oppose + object with no preposition. The preposition to only appears in the adjective phrase be opposed to.
- They opposed to build the factory.→They opposed building the factory.
Oppose is followed by a noun or an -ing form, never by to + infinitive.
- oppose against the plan→oppose the plan
Oppose is transitive and does not take against before its object.