opinion poll i4oo |

o pinion poll noun = poll n.( 1) opium /’aupiam; NAmE 'ou-/ noun [U] a powerful drug made from the juice of a type of poppy (= a kind of flower), used in the past in medicines to reduce pain and help people sleep. Some people take opium illegally for pleasure and can become addicted to it.

mn

opossum /a'pDsam; NAmE 0'pa:s-/ (AustralE, NZE or NAmE informal possum) noun a small American or Australian animal that lives in trees and carries its young in a pouch (= a pocket of skin on the front of the mother’s body) ft H ( ft T M iW H ft M 32 ft Afttl

op pon ent o-pr /g'paunant; NAmEa'pou-/ noun 1 a person that you are playing or fighting against in a game, competition, argument, etc. /jft;          EYTTi

adversary: a political opponent 0 a dangerous/ worthy/formidable opponent    ffcft /..38

ftft/fA 0 The team’s opponents are unbeaten so far this season. 2 ~ (of sth) a

person who is against sth and tries to change or stop it ft##; Ifilt#: opponents of abortion ft# Min (ft A 0 opponents of the regime ft#fl£tRftA op portune /‘dpatjuin; NAmE ,a:par'tu:n/ adj. (formal)

1                  (of a time # |h]) suitable for doing a particular thing, so that it is likely to be successful jft jtf (ft; ft; to ^ ft favourable: The offer could not have come at a more opportune moment. l}PftiliA$l#IEJl:#'[^o

2                  (of an action or event  ) done or happening

at the right time to be successful R # ft; if # (ft: an opportune remark il # ft WSf ffl-n inopportune op- por-tune-ly adv.

opportunism /.Dpa'tjuimzam; NAmE, cupar’tu:-/ noun [U]

(disapproving) the practice of using situations unfairly to gain advantage for yourself without thinking about how your actions will affect other people AX opportun ist /.opa'tjuimst; NAmE ,a:par'tu:-/ (also op por tun is tic) adj. [usually before noun] (often disap­proving) making use of an opportunity, especially to get an advantage for yourself; not done in a planned way #lA±ftft; Sftlft; J*LM$tlBft: an opportunist crime llm # & M. ft jfi ft 3E H op-por-tun-ist noun :      80% of

burglaries are committed by casual opportunists. * 80%

op por tun is tic /.Dpatjui'mstik; NAmE ,a:p0rtu:'n-/ adj. 1 (disapproving) = opportunist 2 [only before noun] (medical ££) harmful to people whose immune system has been made weak by disease or drugs fjlAlfc^'l4ft (          ftA^frlS ) : an opportunistic infection

op portun ity 0-w /.Dpa’tjuinati; NAmE .arpar'tu:-/ noun [C, U] (pi. -ies)

~ (to do sth) | ~ (for sth/for doing sth) | ~ (of doing sth)

a time when a particular situation makes it possible to do or achieve sth tfl ^; # #1 Hn chance : You’ll have the opportunity to ask any questions at the end. jfo (llg/H## tllASIftO There was no oppor­tunity for further discussion.        AififcTo

0                  At least give him the opportunity of explaining what happened.          ifo

Our company promotes equal opportunities for women (= women are given the same jobs, pay, etc. as men).

b career/employment/job opportunities IR ik ft H / $fc ik /1 til S 0 I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues for their support. flciSff          0 He is rude to

me at every opportunity (= whenever possible), ffe tfo 0 They intend to close the school at the earliest opportunity (= as soon as possible), ffe 0 a window of opportunity (= a period of time when the circumstances are right for doing sth) ft H.#l — see also photo opportunity opportunity shop (also 'op shop) noun (AustralE, NZE) a shop/store that sells clothes and other goods given by people to raise money for a charity X ^ ® #

(         ) reran charity shop, thrift store

op-pose Ow /a'pauz; NAmE a'pouz/ verb

3                  to disagree strongly with sb’s plan, policy, etc. and try to change it or prevent it from succeeding ft. #

) ; ftfliJ;        [VN] This party would

bitterly oppose the re-introduction of the death penalty. A % h ® iBf & #          %. ffil o o He threw all those that

opposed him into prison. flyfiJ^W&#ffeftAlfltftjffi T io o [V -ing] I would oppose changing the law. $£#ft #{&3Ei&Ai£$L [also VN -ing] —compare propose(4)

4                  [VN] to compete with sb in a contest ( f£ % A ) % ••• #^, % ■■■ fa M: He intends to oppose the prime minister in the leadership election.

Op-pOSed Ot* /a'pauzd; NAmE a'pouzd/ adj. [not usually before noun]

~ (to sth) 1 (of a person A) disagreeing strongly with sth and trying to stop it IM^Jift.#: She remained bitterly opposed to the idea of moving abroad. Mfli^SMft.## 0 They are totally opposed to abortion. Aft#ffiJ&o 2 (of ideas, opinions, etc. M JE, #fe#) very different from sth H££A[^]: Our views are diamet­rically opposed on this issue. f£ & A ft] M ±, ic iU W ^0.

fTiTTl as opposed to (formal) used to make a contrast between two things (          tfc ) M,

A: 200 attended, as opposed to 300 the previous year. *SM 200 A,       300 A0 0 This exercise

develops suppleness as opposed to (= rather than)

strength.

Op pos ing 0-ir /a'pauzir); NAmE 0'poozirj/ adj. [only before noun]

1 (of teams, armies, forces, etc. (A£Jft % PA, AM#) playing, fighting, working, etc. against each other MX ; +1         W: a player from the opposing side

jiSzjfj ft o It is time for opposing factions to unite and work towards a common goal.

2 (of attitudes,

views etc.   MA#) very different from each other

op pos ite 0-w / npazit; -sit; NAmE 'arpazot/ adj., adv., noun, prep.

madj. 1 [only before noun] on the other side of a particular area from sb/sth and usually facing them (ft; A • jiiftj: Answers are given on the opposite page. ft±0 O We live further down on the opposite side of the road. o It’s not easy

having a relationship when you live at opposite ends of the country.

2 (used after the noun  A £ il3 fa) facing

the speaker or sb/sth that has been mentioned A ffi (ft : I could see smoke coming from the windows of the house directly opposite. 'f ft III

fh Ao 0 He sat down in the chair opposite.

Iff Ji^TT^o 3 [usually before noun] as different as possible from sth ft (ft; i§ ^ A I^I ft: I watched them leave and then drove off in the opposite direction. @ M ffetlWjfF,        0 She tried

calming him down but it seemed to be having the opposite effect.       , iPfWAA

To 0 students at opposite ends of the ability range fgA i{®W!£ft^£ op-pos-ite adv. : There’s a newly married couple living opposite (= on the other side of the road). A—0 See opposite (= on the opposite page) for further details. # 'If JiDfj' Mo IT»n?l your .opposite number a person who does the same job as you in another organization ( A “ A fv A ) 4 i B SR & ■# ft A: The Foreign Secretary is currently having talks with his opposite number in the White House. #£*E&!E#6-gftXt#WM£fco the .opposite ’sex the other sex #14: He found it difficult to talk to members of the opposite sex.

Xitko — more at pull v.

a noun a person or thing that is as different as possible from sb/sth else )^3LftA ( ’s&M ) ;  Mffi: Hot

and cold are opposites.          o What is the

opposite of heavy? JrftftX      0 I thought she

would be small and blonde but she’s the complete opposite.       jSM

fp'ip'ffift.o O Exactly the opposite is true.          ffift.o