up against

Idioms  

1. Contending or confronted with, as in I'm up against a strong opponent in this election. This idiom is also put as up against it, which means “in serious difficulty, especially in desperate financial straits.” For example, When the collection agency called again, we knew we were up against it. [Late 1800s]

---

Example Sentences

How the Texans can win: Houston’s defense can hold up against the run and has the secondary to challenge Herbert, but the Texans offense has been one of the league’s worst in the red zone.

From Los Angeles Times

"Some of the footballers he comes up against don't have the same base he has. That's why he's stocky, strong and really competitive - because of wrestling."

From BBC

His length was the fullest of the England attack and, when he bowled Smith with a superb nip-backer, it extended a run of dismissing the Australian great in all of the four first-class innings they have come up against each other.

From BBC

Given the sums they can invest, big family offices can sometimes compete against large institutional investors on deals, putting them up against behemoths such as Apollo Global Management and Blackstone.

From The Wall Street Journal

If sanctions are lifted, exporters who can sell goods to Russia without investing much there will likely return—although many will find themselves up against Chinese imports that now dominate many Russian markets, from vehicles to smartphones.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• anti
• antithetical
• averse
• disputed
• hostile
• inimical
• opposing