against

[ uh-genst, uh-geynst ]

preposition

1. in opposition to; contrary to; adverse or hostile to: against reason.

   twenty votes against ten;

   against reason.

2. in resistance to or defense from:

   protection against burglars.

3. in an opposite direction to:

   to ride against the wind.

4. into contact or collision with; toward; upon:

   The rain beat against the window.

5. in contact with:

   to lean against the wall.

6. in preparation for; in provision for:

   money saved against a rainy day.

7. having as background:

   a design of flowers against a dark wall.

8. in exchange for; as a balance to or debit or charge on:

   He asked for an advance against his salary.

9. in competition with:

   a racehorse running against his own record time.

10. in comparison or contrast with:

    a matter of reason as against emotion.

11. beside; near; before:

    The car is against the building.

conjunction

1. Archaic. before; by the time that.

against

/ əˈɡɛnst; əˈɡeɪnst /

preposition

1. opposed to; in conflict or disagreement with

   they fought against the legislation

2. standing or leaning beside or in front of

   a ladder against the wall

3. coming in contact with

   the branches of a tree brushed against the bus

4. in contrast to

   silhouettes are outlines against a light background

5. having an adverse or unfavourable effect on

   the economic system works against small independent companies

6. as a protection from or means of defence from the adverse effects of

   a safeguard against contaminated water

7. in exchange for or in return for
8. rare.
   in preparation for

   he gave them warm clothing against their journey through the night

9. as against
   as opposed to or as compared with

   he had two shots at him this time as against only one last time

Word History and Origins

Origin of against¹

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English agens, ageynes, equivalent to ageyn again + -es -s ¹; for -t whilst, amongst

Word History and Origins

Origin of against¹

C12: ageines, from again, ageyn, etc, again + -es genitive ending; the spelling with -t (C16) was probably due to confusion with superlatives ending in -st

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. over against,
   1. positioned across from or opposite; facing:

      The debate teams were seated over against each other.

   2. in contrast with:

      rich people over against poor people.

More idioms and phrases containing against

• beat one's head against the wall
• cards are stacked against
• come up against
• count against
• dead set against
• guard against
• have something against
• hold something against
• lift a hand against
• over against
• pit someone against
• run against
• set against
• swim against
• turn against
• two strikes against
• up against

Example Sentences

But the lack of oversight into how body-centric data are used and shared with third parties has prompted concerns from privacy experts, who warn that the data could be sold or lost through data breaches, then used to raise insurance premiums, discriminate surreptitiously against applicants for jobs or housing, and even perform surveillance.

From Los Angeles Times

Alliance for Human Rights lawsuit against the city and county.

From Los Angeles Times

In July, the legal case against Baldwin, who was on trial for manslaughter, was dismissed due to the prosecution's failure to turn over evidence to the defense.

From Salon

Trump's unusual transition is rooted deep in his distrust of the current government, which he blames for leveling criminal charges against him, sources close to Trump’s transition team told The Post.

From Salon

Mike David, president of the Article III Project, a nonprofit group that has defended Trump against criminal charges, told The Post that the president-elect is right not to trust “the politicized and weaponized” agencies that “hobbled his presidency the first time.”

From Salon