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Synonyms

run counter to

Idioms  

  1. Be in conflict with, oppose, as in Practice often runs counter to theory. This idiom, first recorded in 1843, uses counter in the sense of “in an opposite direction.”

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.

But the implications, in his view, also run counter to Warsh’s.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

But keeping a smaller EV manufacturing footprint seems to run counter to the idea of producing competitively priced, profit-making EVs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025

From a human-resources perspective, it makes little sense to effectively conflate vacation days with work-from-home days, and it also seems to run counter to promoting goodwill.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 28, 2025

Such experiences run counter to what North Korean people had expected from the past decade.

From BBC • Sep. 12, 2025

Linton's fancies never run counter to solid advantages.

From Roland Cashel Volume II (of II) by Lever, Charles James

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.