set against

verb

1. to balance or compare

   to set a person's faults against his virtues

2. to cause to be hostile or unfriendly to

Idioms and Phrases

Be or cause someone to be opposed to, as in Civil wars often set brother against brother , or The police chief's critics were set against his officers . [Late 1200s] Also see dead set against .

Example Sentences

Nicholas Yeo, defending Mr Cotgreave, told the misconduct hearing he accepted the serious matter but added that it was set against 24 years of unblemished service.

From BBC

After being unable to take two match points in the second set tie-break, Norrie recovered to dominate the deciding set against 61st-ranked Bergs.

From BBC

Boulter then showed real grit to fend off Yuan in a marathon fourth game before closing out the set against the world number 45 with her sixth ace of the match.

From BBC

Second seed Boulter needed a tie-break to win a hard-fought first set before securing the win with a much more comfortable second set against the world number 100.

From BBC

The lyrics contemplate the fleeting nature of time and the loss of innocence, set against the backdrop of a love affair that's hit the rocks.

From BBC

Related Words

• analyze
• contrast
• correlate
• equal
• match
• measure
• study