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Synonyms

go against

British  

verb

  1. to be contrary to (principles or beliefs)

  2. to be unfavourable to (a person)

    the case went against him
"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
go against Idioms  

  1. Oppose, be in conflict with, as in Does this legislation go against their best interest? [c. 1600] Also see against the grain.

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.

The discoveries at McGraths Flat go against these expectations.

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026

“I would actively do everything in my power to go against every classic stereotype of what an Indian person is,” Buttar said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

If results in those games and elsewhere go against them, they could be in the relegation zone by the time that last-four tie with Villa arrives.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Close friends dining across the room from each other might exchange a wave or a quick handshake, but unsolicited business pitches go against the restaurant’s unwritten code of conduct, members say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

"What if the fighting doesn’t go against her?"

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

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.