run against
Idioms-
Also, run up against or run into . Encounter something, especially a difficulty, unexpectedly. For example, We didn't know we'd run up against so much opposition , or He ran into trouble with his taxes . [Late 1300s]
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Work against, as in Public sentiment ran against her . [Late 1300s]
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Oppose for elective office, as in Susan decided to run against a very popular incumbent . This usage is a figurative application of running in a footrace. [First half of 1800s]
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 Times: Why do you think Raman decided to run against you?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
After she was asked about a possible Senate run against minority leader Chuck Schumer, the US Senate's top Democrat, Ocasio-Cortez replied that "anything was possible".
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Ed Miliband became foreign minister, Wes Streeting -- who abandoned plans to run against Burnham for the Labour leadership -- was named defence minister, and left-wing figurehead Angela Rayner returned to government.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Sustained draws of around 2 million barrels a day would run against Beijing’s long-term goal of maintaining strategic and commercial reserves, Goldman analysts said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
“So I will not have you run against a grown man. Where is our little Hugi?”
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
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.
