run against

1. 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]

2. Work against, as in Public sentiment ran against her . [Late 1300s]

3. 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

Former investment banker Austin Beutner, an advocate for arts education who spent three years at the helm of the Los Angeles Unified School District, appears to be laying the groundwork for a run against Mayor Karen Bass in next year’s election, according to his social media accounts.

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Beutner, who worked at one point as a high-level aide to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, would instantly become the most significant candidate to run against Bass, who is seeking a second four-year term in June.

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England will look to maintain their winning run against Pakistan, also in Colombo, on Wednesday.

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Yet, one of the first thoughts that came to my mind had to do with Kirk Gibson hitting his walk-off home run against the Oakland A’s in the 1988 World Series and two Hall of Fame announcers with their calls.

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Shares of smaller lenders have had a poor run against their bigger peers in recent years.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal