'gainst

American

[genst, geynst] / gɛnst, geɪnst /

Or gainst

preposition

shortened form of against.

'gainst British

/ ɡɛnst, ɡeɪnst /

preposition

poetic short for against

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As the first hymn began, with: "He who would valiant be 'gainst all disaster," she appeared, to take her place.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2022

“Attitude is very important to me. I’m gonna turn my whole life around. I been carryin’ a big chip, felt it was me ’gainst the world.

From Seattle Times • May 11, 2017

She was back to leaning ’gainst the wall like a bundle and her hands were covering her eyes.

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis

She hug it ’gainst her chest and didn’t say nothing else.

From "Girls Like Us" by Gail Giles

The only thing I could make out was that someone had leaned some dark bundles or sacks up ’gainst the left hand side of the stable.

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023