Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

oppose

/əˈpoʊz/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.94 in modern English

Syllables: op-pose
IPA: /əˈpoʊz/

10

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To attempt to stop the progression of; to resist or antagonize by physical means, or by arguments, etc.; to contend against.

verb

To object to.

verb

To present or set up in opposition; to pose.

verb

To place in front of, or over against; to set opposite; to exhibit.

Example Sentences

"to oppose the king in battle"
"to oppose a bill in Congress"
"There is still time to oppose this plan."
"I am […] too weak / To oppose your cunning."
"Many religious leaders oppose cloning humans."
"They are opposed to any form of hierarchy."

Etymology

From Middle English opposen, from Old French opposer, from Latin ob (“before, against”) + Medieval Latin pono (“to put”), taking the place of Latin opponere (“to oppose”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *tḱey-, opposen, opposer, ob, pono, oppono

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /əˈpoʊz/
British English: /əˈpəʊz/

Inflected Forms

opposes (present, singular) opposing (participle, present) opposed (participle, past) opposed (past) no-table-tags (table tags) glossary (inflection template) opposed (first person, past) opposest (archaic, present) opposed (past, second person) opposedst (archaic, past) opposeth (archaic, present) opposed (past, singular)

Derived Forms

opposability opposable opposably opposal opposee opposeless opposure reoppose

Frequently Paired Words

opponent opposer opposite opposition

Synonyms

confront withstand resist hinder obstruct buck react take issue with speak out contest repugn argue

Antonyms

support

Rhymes With

those shows goes knows rose suppose chose nose grows flows pose throws

Questions

How do you pronounce oppose?: The recorded pronunciation is /əˈpoʊz/.
What does oppose mean?: To attempt to stop the progression of; to resist or antagonize by physical means, or by arguments, etc.; to contend against.
Where does oppose come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce oppose

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “oppose”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/əˈpoʊz/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “oppose”.
Repeat and practice — Say “oppose” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.