Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

opposite number

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.58 in modern English

Syllables: op-po-site num-ber
IPA

22

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

4

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A person who holds a position in an organization, sports team, or the like, that corresponds to that held by another person in another organization; a counterpart.

Example Sentences

"The first up train was the morning semi-fast ex Buncrana, which sped through with No. 8 at its head, adroitly exchanging staffs at about 15 m.p.h. […] The next train through Tooban was our opposite number, and we duly received the vital staff."
"Except for the mid-winter period, when the 11.30 a.m. from Paddington and its opposite number will be withdrawn - Torquay now has seven daily expresses to and from Paddington as compared with five down and six up previously."
"With Jones and Botterman hoovering up penalties at the breakdown, Ward and Maud Muir putting the brakes on France's rolling maul and Cokyane waving off her opposite number after getting the better of a scrum, England were winning plenty of battles."

Inflected Forms

opposite numbers (plural)

Synonyms

counterpart vis-a-vis

Questions

What does opposite number mean?: A person who holds a position in an organization, sports team, or the like, that corresponds to that held by another person in another organization; a counterpart.

How to pronounce opposite number

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “opposite number”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “opposite number” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.