'gainst

American

[genst, geynst] / gɛnst, geɪnst /

Or gainst

preposition

shortened form of against.

'gainst British

/ ɡɛnst, ɡeɪnst /

preposition

poetic short for against

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As the first hymn began, with: "He who would valiant be 'gainst all disaster," she appeared, to take her place.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2022

“Attitude is very important to me. I’m gonna turn my whole life around. I been carryin’ a big chip, felt it was me ’gainst the world.

From Seattle Times • May 11, 2017

She was so scairt of the cap’n that she was jumping at every owl hoot and near tackling me whenever something rustled ’gainst a branch in the woods out back.

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis

Two of ’em reached their hands out at me and strained up ’gainst their chains so’s to get close to the bucket as they could.

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis

“I’d advise ’gainst going there, fellas; y’all’ll be a couple of fish out of water.

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023