'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

I felt thy heart beat ’gainst my palm.

From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz

I took a rag out of my tote sack and wrapped the knife in it so’s it wouldn’t bang up ’gainst none of my chunking stones.

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis

The hairs on the back of my neck started jumping like a skeeter’d brushed up ’gainst ’em.

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis

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