swim against the current

Idioms  

1. Also,. Go against prevailing opinion or thought, as in I'm voting for him even if that is swimming against the current. Shakespeare used a similar metaphor in 2 Henry IV (5:2): “You must now speak Sir John Falstaff fair, which swims against your stream.” For the antonym, see swim with the tide.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

swim against the current

Advice if caught includes to not try and swim against the current, but rather try and head parallel to the shore until free from its grip.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2025

It will cause approaching fish to tingle unpleasantly and, if they push farther into the electrode array, be stunned so they can't swim against the current.

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2023

They’re put into tanks, where they will learn to swim against the current, and get big enough to be moved to saltwater tanks to grow into adults.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 7, 2023

We feel like the lucky salmon who successfully swim against the current as we escape the building and feel the heat of the sun on our faces.

From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2016

As for swimming, you evidently haven't the strength of a cat, and there is no breathing man could swim against the current far enough to reach any place where he could climb out.

From Jeanne of the Marshes by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim