en‧e‧my W2 / enəmi / 名词 ( 复数形式 enemies ) [可数名词]

1 someone who hates you and wants to harm you :

She’s a dangerous enemy to have.

Cats and dogs have always been natural enemies .

an old enemy of her father

make an enemy (of somebody)

a ruthless businessman who made a lot of enemies

the unforgettable sight of the president shaking hands with his sworn enemy (= an enemy you will always hate )

sb’s worst enemy (= the person they hate most )

I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy .

2 someone who opposes or competes against you :

political enemies

He was imprisoned for being ‘an enemy of the revolution’.

3 ( also the enemy ) the country against which your country is fighting in a war :

He was accused of collaboration with the enemy.

enemy forces/aircraft/territory etc

a town behind enemy lines

Grammar

In British English, you can use either a singular 动词 or a 复数形式 动词 after the enemy :

The enemy has OR have suffered a major defeat.

4 something that people think is harmful or damaging :

The usual enemies, cigarettes and alcohol, are targeted for tax rises.

The common enemy that united them was communism.

5 be your own worst enemy to behave in a way that causes problems for yourself

6 public enemy number one informal someone famous who has done something bad and who a lot of people do not like :

His views made him public enemy number one in the eyes of the media.

7 the enemy within people in a society etc that other people think are trying to secretly destroy or damage it :

efforts to label environmentalists as the enemy within

8 if one thing is the enemy of another, the second thing cannot exist because the first thing destroys it :

Boredom is the enemy of learning.

COLLOCATIONS

形容词

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

动词

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 the enemy We will never defeat our enemies unless we stop fighting each other.

名词

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.

短语

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.

THESAURUS

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.