Meaning & use
opposing attorney
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Meaning
nouncountable
the lawyer who represents the other side in a legal case.
Grammar: Countable; usually used with 'the' or a possessive: 'the opposing attorney', 'my opposing attorney'.
Patterns
- the opposing attorney
- opposing attorney for someone
- object to something by the opposing attorney
The judge asked the opposing attorney to repeat the question.
My lawyer and the opposing attorney agreed on a short break.
She was the opposing attorney in the case, so she could not speak to the witness alone.
Word forms
| plural | opposing attorneys |
|---|
Common combinations
- the opposing attorney objected
- The opposing attorney objected before the witness could answer.
- cross-examine someone for the opposing attorney
- He was cross-examined for the opposing attorney for nearly an hour.
- the opposing attorney's argument
- The opposing attorney's argument did not convince the jury.
- a meeting with the opposing attorney
- The two sides arranged a meeting with the opposing attorney to discuss a settlement.
- the opposing attorney for the defendant
- The opposing attorney for the defendant asked for more time.
Synonyms and how they differ
- opposing counsel
- A more formal term used especially in British English and in legal writing; it can refer to one lawyer or to the whole legal team.
- the other side's lawyer
- A plain everyday phrase that means the same thing but is less formal and not used in official court language.
Word family
- opposing counsel noun
- The lawyer or legal team representing the other party in a case.
Commonly confused: opposing attorney or opposition? opposing attorney or attorney general?
opposing attorney vs opposition
Opposition means strong disagreement or a political group against the government; it is not a word for a lawyer in a case.
opposing attorney vs attorney general
An attorney general is a senior government lawyer, not the lawyer on the other side of your case.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'opposing attorney' correctly?
Choose one answer.
An opposing attorney is a lawyer on the other side of a legal case, so objecting to a question in court fits. The other options use the phrase with meanings it does not have.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “opposing attorney”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.