enemy

noun

en·​e·​my ˈe-nə-mē How to pronounce enemy (audio)
plural enemies
1
: one that is antagonistic to another
especially : one seeking to injure, overthrow, or confound an opponent
2
: something harmful or deadly
alcohol was his greatest enemy
3
a
: a military adversary
b
: a hostile unit or force

Examples of enemy in a Sentence

He made a lot of enemies during the course of his career. Tradition is the enemy of progress.
Recent Examples on the Web Traditional farms may deploy toxic chemicals like organophosphates and organochlorines, while organic farms prefer to keep damaging bugs in check by encouraging the growth of their natural enemies, including particular beetles, spiders and birds. Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 Each weapon has a host of customizable combat styles, which can be adjusted mid-battle to target each enemy’s weakness. Katcy Stephan, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024 Targeting hospitals in wartime is prohibited under international law, but those standards change if enemy combatants are using the facility to attack an enemy. Abeer Salman, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 Now we are engaged in another humanitarian airlift — this time because of the actions not of an enemy but of our partner. Nicholas Kristof, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024 The crew burned the remains of the warship to make sure its guns did not fall into enemy hands. Stephen Smith, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2024 First of all, America is quite involved in the Middle East and is quite involved with the Muslim and Arab countries — whether as an aid provider, ally or enemy. Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 The pro-authoritarian flame was kept flickering alive by figures such as Patrick J. Buchanan who hailed Putin early on as a kind of paleoconservative who knew how to crush the internal liberal enemy and stand up against LGBTQ rights. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 The prince defeats the enemies and discovers the secret of Galerius’ speedy takeover. Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'enemy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English enmy, enemi, borrowed from Anglo-French enemi, going back to Latin inimīcus, noun derivative of inimīcus, adjective, "of an opponent, unfriendly, hostile," from in- in- entry 1 + amīcus "friendly, well-disposed, loving" — more at amiable

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of enemy was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near enemy

Cite this Entry

“Enemy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enemy. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

enemy

noun
en·​e·​my ˈen-ə-mē How to pronounce enemy (audio)
plural enemies
1
: one that tries to hurt or overthrow or that seeks the failure of another
2
: something that harms
3
a
: a nation with which a country is at war
b
: a military force or a person belonging to such a nation
Etymology

Middle English enemi "enemy," from early French enemi (same meaning), from Latin inimicus (same meaning), from in- "not" and amicus "friend"

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