leader of the opposition

noun phrase

: the principal member of the opposition party in a British legislative body who is given the status of a salaried government official and an important role in organizing the business of the house

Examples of leader of the opposition in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Like Barr and Garland, Holder clashed with leaders of the opposition party when that party was newly in control of the House and eager to take on the president. Ron Elving, NPR, 15 June 2024 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, will square off on Tuesday evening in their first debate of Britain’s general election. Mark Landler, New York Times, 4 June 2024 Divisions within the party over the issue had previously led to a more cautious approach, with Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition, preferring to avoid the subject altogether rather than risk internal disputes. Anand Menon, Foreign Affairs, 30 Dec. 2021 In March, one of Modi's top rivals, Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the opposition Aam Aadmi Party, was jailed on bribery allegations. Lauren Frayer, NPR, 2 June 2024 The senator who hired the 20-year-old Mr. Harris in 2008, Frances Fitzgerald, a Fine Gael member of the European Parliament, was the leader of the opposition in the upper house of Ireland’s legislature at the time. Megan Specia, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024 Benny Gantz, who is a part of the prime minister's war cabinet, is the leader of the opposition party in Israel. Mansee Khurana, NPR, 4 Apr. 2024 At the time, in 2008, Netanyahu was the leader of the opposition. Anshel Pfeffer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024 In 2015, Russia’s former deputy prime minister Boris Nemtsov, then the most visible leader of the opposition, was gunned down on a Moscow bridge within sight of the Kremlin. Laura Smith-Spark, CNN, 16 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1771, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of leader of the opposition was in 1771

Dictionary Entries Near leader of the opposition

Cite this Entry

“Leader of the opposition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leader%20of%20the%20opposition. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.

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