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

Still, the reports of robust spending run counter to some recent economic indicators.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Likewise shorting commodities here would run counter to current consensus.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

It's an argument that appears to run counter to recent calls to make some foods more affordable.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

These highly volatile funds are designed for active, short-term traders, not long-term investors, and run counter to diversification principles.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

In our effort to show that the soul is able to live independent of a body, we have likewise run counter to experimental psychology and philosophy.

From What and Where is God? A Human Answer to the Deep Religious Cry of the Modern Soul by Richard la Rue Swain

Related Words

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