count against

British  

verb

1. (intr, preposition) to have influence to the disadvantage of

   your bad timekeeping will count against you

---

count against Idioms  

1. Be disadvantageous to, as in His earnings this year will count against his Social Security benefits. This idiom uses count in the sense of “make a reckoning,” in this case negative. [Early 1900s]

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

count against

Data-center builders rely heavily on imports like semiconductor chips, and those imports count against the U.S. growth calculation because the products are not made in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Sometimes the extra leverage doesn’t count against the funds’ legal limits, because the debt resides off their balance sheets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

Due to the recent ruling in the Diego Pavia case, the season that Woods spent playing junior college does not count against his five years of eligibility.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025

One of them, by sub fielder Liam Dawson, is the sort of thing that will count against his chances of going as the second spinner.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2025

She was pure of heart and deed; she only kicked shins in self- defense, so that couldn't count against her.

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin