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against

[uh-genst, uh-geynst]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR against ON THESAURUS.COM

preposition

in opposition to; contrary to; adverse or hostile to: twenty votes against ten; against reason.

in resistance to or defense from: protection against burglars.

in an opposite direction to: to ride against the wind.

into contact or collision with; toward; upon: The rain beat against the window.

in contact with: to lean against the wall.

in preparation for; in provision for: money saved against a rainy day.

having as background: a design of flowers against a dark wall.

in exchange for; as a balance to or debit or charge on: He asked for an advance against his salary.

in competition with: a racehorse running against his own record time.

in comparison or contrast with: a matter of reason as against emotion.

beside; near; before: The car is against the building.

conjunction

Archaic. before; by the time that.

Idioms

over against, in contrast with: the rich over against the poor.

Origin of against

1125–75; Middle English agens, ageynes, equivalent to ageyn again + -es -s¹; for -t cf. whilst, amongst

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for against

across, adjacent, con, facing, opposing, versus, contra, vs

Examples from the Web for against

Contemporary Examples of against

Spouting off against police online has become criminalized in recent weeks.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead
Luke O’Neil
January 8, 2015
The reason we were liberals is we were against oppression.
Bill Maher: Hundreds of Millions of Muslims Support Attack on ‘Charlie Hebdo’
Lloyd Grove
January 8, 2015
Congress is nearing a vote on the Keystone XL pipeline, and lawmakers made their cases for—and against—it Sunday.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Jan. 4
PunditFact.com
January 5, 2015
The two major complaints minority communities have against the police seem at first glance paradoxical.
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown
Batya Ungar-Sargon
January 1, 2015
And, of course, it was against the mixing of the races that the music inevitably provoked.
How Martin Luther King Jr. Influenced Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’
Peter Guralnick
December 28, 2014

Historical Examples of against

But at last there came a day against which no objections could be raised.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
I shall take you against your will—but I shall make you love me—in the end.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
The probabilities were all against that father's being still alive.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
He went over once more the day's arguments for and against the novel emprise.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
They were good fighters and for a long time they were able to hold their own against all invaders.
Ancient Man
Hendrik Willem van Loon

British Dictionary definitions for against

against

preposition

opposed to; in conflict or disagreement withthey fought against the legislation

standing or leaning beside or in front ofa ladder against the wall

coming in contact withthe branches of a tree brushed against the bus

in contrast tosilhouettes are outlines against a light background

having an adverse or unfavourable effect onthe economic system works against small independent companies

as a protection from or means of defence from the adverse effects ofa safeguard against contaminated water

in exchange for or in return for

rare in preparation forhe gave them warm clothing against their journey through the night

as against as opposed to or as compared withhe had two shots at him this time as against only one last time

Word Origin for against

C12: ageines, from again, ageyn, etc, again + -es genitive ending; the spelling with -t (C16) was probably due to confusion with superlatives ending in -st

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for against

adv.

early 12c., agenes "in opposition to," a southern variant of agen "again" (see again), with adverbial genitive. The parasitic -t turned up mid-14c. and was standard by early 16c., perhaps from influence of superlatives.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with against

against

In addition to the idioms beginning with against

against all odds
against one's better judgment
against one's will
against the clock
against the grain
against the tide

also see:

beat one's head against the wall
cards are stacked against
come up against
count against
dead set against
guard against
have something against
hold something against
lift a hand against
over against
pit someone against
run against
set against
swim against
turn against
two strikes against
up against

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.