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.”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

run counter to

Likewise shorting commodities here would run counter to current consensus.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

"This is because the party's restrictions on access run counter to Unison's policy on trans equality."

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026

Police leaders, civil rights advocates and other experts say the actions of immigration officials and agents run counter to law enforcement’s best practices.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2026

The wearing of white buckskin boots was one of the privileges of the First Eleven, and Linklater had run counter to custom and habit again.

From "Pip" A Romance of Youth by Ian Hay

Related Words

• argue
• assail
• attack
• debate
• defy
• deny
• disagree
• dispute
• face
• fight
• prevent
• protest
• resist