against the tide
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He swam against the tide after Beijing crushed the pro-democracy movement in Tiananmen Square in 1989, becoming the largest Hong Kong investor in mainland China, primarily in the property sector, while foreign businesses fled.
From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026
Even with a long-term extension, these insurers could be swimming against the tide for years.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025
As humanity swims against the tide of rising temperatures, they will also need to solve lingering mysteries regarding these scientific facts.
From Salon • Dec. 30, 2024
But it's harder than ever now for those few people swimming against the tide by trying to bridge the divide between Israelis and Palestinians.
From BBC • Dec. 8, 2023
She tried to turn against the tide, to get away while there was still time, but she was caught in the chattering, laughing trap of factory girls pushing themselves forward into the new day.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
