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Glite Dictionary
opposite number

opposite number

1 4.9
A person who has the same job in another company or country
  • noun
  • /ˈɑːpəzɪt ˈnʌmbər/
translation icon : homólogo
  • You probably recognise my opposite number in the KGB.

Examples

  • He arranged a meeting with his opposite number in the foreign office to discuss trade agreements.

  • Just confirmed by my opposite number in China.

    Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

  • Sort of your opposite number, then?

    The Fourth Protocol (1987)

  • Our opposite number has done the same thing.

    Blog text (31)

  • Seated to one side was Kathmann, Yama's opposite number in Earth Security.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • A South Korean infantry officer was on the telephone in a terse exchange with his opposite number on the other side of the DMZ.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • lf it is true that Pawero, his opposite number, is involved in corruption, he needs to play his hand carefully.

    PFC Benjamin Tollefson: A Mom's Loss (2017)

  • During the conference, she found herself seated next to her opposite number from a rival company.

  • The manager coordinated schedules with his opposite number at the partner organization for joint planning.

Synonyms

counterpart
vsopposite number
169 5.0

A person in another place who has the same job or role

is the same job in another organization rather than any similar role
vis-à-vis
vsopposite number
7.9

A person or thing that has the same role as another

is used for equal positions across organizations in everyday situations
homolog
vsopposite number
8.4

A person or organization in one place that has the same job in another place

is the common everyday term for equal jobs rather than technical label

Surface Forms

opposite number singular
opposite numbers plural

Morphology

opposite + number

There is a partial clue in 'opposite' (suggesting a counterpart), but the use of 'number' to mean a corresponding person is idiomatic and not a transparent use of the noun 'number'. Because the overall sense 'the person who holds the equivalent position' requires knowledge of this fixed British phrase rather than straightforward composition, it is only partially predictable to learners who know the parts.

Etymology

Opposite number comes from the image of two people standing opposite each other with the same number or role, like players on different teams wearing matching shirt numbers. So the phrase means 'the person with the same job in another company or country'.