preposition
- in opposition to; contrary to; adverse or hostile to: twenty votes against ten; against reason.
- in resistance to or defense from: protection against burglars.
- in an opposite direction to: to ride against the wind.
- into contact or collision with; toward; upon: The rain beat against the window.
- in contact with: to lean against the wall.
- in preparation for; in provision for: money saved against a rainy day.
- having as background: a design of flowers against a dark wall.
- in exchange for; as a balance to or debit or charge on: He asked for an advance against his salary.
- in competition with: a racehorse running against his own record time.
- in comparison or contrast with: a matter of reason as against emotion.
- beside; near; before: The car is against the building.
conjunction
- Archaic. before; by the time that.
- over against, in contrast with: the rich over against the poor.
preposition
- opposed to; in conflict or disagreement withthey fought against the legislation
- standing or leaning beside or in front ofa ladder against the wall
- coming in contact withthe branches of a tree brushed against the bus
- in contrast tosilhouettes are outlines against a light background
- having an adverse or unfavourable effect onthe economic system works against small independent companies
- as a protection from or means of defence from the adverse effects ofa safeguard against contaminated water
- in exchange for or in return for
- rare in preparation forhe gave them warm clothing against their journey through the night
- as against as opposed to or as compared withhe had two shots at him this time as against only one last time
early 12c., agenes “in opposition to,” a southern variant of agen “again” (see again), with adverbial genitive. The parasitic -t turned up mid-14c. and was standard by early 16c., perhaps from influence of superlatives.
In addition to the idioms beginning with against
- against all odds
- against one’s better judgment
- against one’s will
- against the clock
- against the grain
- against the tide
also see:
- 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