swim against the current

Idioms  

1. Also,. Go against prevailing opinion or thought, as in I'm voting for him even if that is swimming against the current. Shakespeare used a similar metaphor in 2 Henry IV (5:2): “You must now speak Sir John Falstaff fair, which swims against your stream.” For the antonym, see swim with the tide.

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Example Sentences

Both resisted the urge to panic and swim against the current, instead opting to float and await rescue as was taught to them by their father years before at their local swimming pool.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

It will cause approaching fish to tingle unpleasantly and, if they push farther into the electrode array, be stunned so they can't swim against the current.

From Salon • Jun. 13, 2023

They’re put into tanks, where they will learn to swim against the current, and get big enough to be moved to saltwater tanks to grow into adults.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 7, 2023

Like a film-maker caught in an unanticipated critical maelstrom, WeWork and Neumann tried hard to swim against the current.

From The Guardian • Dec. 20, 2019

Rising to the surface he tried with all his strength to swim against the current to the spot where Kenric had fallen in.

From The Thirsty Sword by Leighton, Robert