against the tide
IdiomsExample 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 sun rose on a chilly morning in central London, Roxana Panozo Alba walked against the tide of suited-up bankers whose offices she spent the night cleaning.
From Barron's • Dec. 19, 2025
Even with a long-term extension, these insurers could be swimming against the tide for years.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025
But some staff feel they're swimming against the tide, with the most difficult weeks of winter still to come.
From BBC • Dec. 17, 2023
Many people would like to see more regulation so that they no longer have to swim against the tide.
From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2023
She tried to turn against the tide, to get away while there was still time, but she was caught in the chattering, laughing trap of factory girls pushing themselves forward into the new day.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
