Nitric oxide (NO) and reactive nitrogen species have emerged as crucial signalling and regulatory molecules across all organisms. In plants, fungi and fungi-like oomycetes, NO is involved in the regulation of multiple processes during their growth, development, reproduction, responses to the external environment and biotic interactions. It has become evident that NO is produced and used as signalling and defence cues by both partners in multiple forms of plant interactions with their microbial counterparts, ranging from symbiotic to pathogenic modes. This review summarizes current knowledge on NO role in plant-pathogen interactions, focused on biotrophic, necrotrophic and hemibiotrophic fungi and oomycetes. Actual advances and gaps in the identification of NO sources and fate in plant and pathogen cells are discussed. We review the decisive role of time- and site-specific NO production in germination, oriented growth and active penetration of filamentous pathogens to the host tissues, as well in pathogen recognition, and defence activation in plants. Distinct functions of NO are highlighted on diverse interactions of host plants with fungal and oomycete pathogens of different lifestyles, where NO in interplay with reactive oxygen species govern successful plant colonization, cell death and resistance establishment.