26 Phrasal Verbs with “Against”

26 Phrasal Verbs with “Against” (Meanings & Examples)

Hello, English learners! 👋 Welcome to a new lesson. The preposition against is used to express opposition, resistance, comparison, or protection. Many verbs naturally combine with against to show conflict, criticism, defence, or contrast. In this lesson, you’ll learn 26 useful phrasal verbs with “against”, with clear meanings and natural examples. These are especially useful for formal writing, discussions, news topics, and Cambridge exams.

Opposition & Resistance

Go against

Meaning: to oppose or be contrary to something.

• His decision goes against company policy.
• She went against her parents’ wishes.

Stand against

Meaning: to publicly oppose something.

• She stood against corruption.
• The group stood against the proposal.

Fight against

Meaning: to struggle or campaign to stop something.

• They are fighting against poverty.
• The community fought against the closure of the school.

Push back against

Meaning: to resist an idea or decision.

• Employees pushed back against the new rules.

Rally against

Meaning: to unite in opposition.

• Thousands rallied against the tax increase.

Rebel against

Meaning: to resist authority or control.

• Teenagers often rebel against strict rules.

Kick against

Meaning: to resist something strongly (informal).

• He kicked against the unfair decision.

Turn against

Meaning: to become hostile or opposed.

• Public opinion quickly turned against the law.

Criticism, Accusation & Judgement

Declare against

Meaning: to formally state opposition.

• The organisation declared against the reforms.

Inveigh against (formal)

Meaning: to criticise strongly and angrily.

• Journalists inveighed against government corruption.

Level against

Meaning: to accuse someone of something serious.

• Serious allegations were levelled against the minister.

Hold against

Meaning: to blame or resent someone.

• Please don’t hold my mistake against me.

Have against

Meaning: to feel dislike or resentment.

• I have nothing against him personally.

Count against

Meaning: to be a disadvantage.

• His lack of experience may count against him.

Protection & Prevention

Guard against

Meaning: to take precautions.

• We must guard against future risks.

Protect against

Meaning: to keep safe from harm.

• This vaccine protects against infection.

Hedge against

Meaning: to reduce risk or potential loss.

• She saved money to hedge against emergencies.

Comparison & Competition

Measure against

Meaning: to compare with a standard.

• Performance is measured against clear criteria.

Match against

Meaning: to place in competition.

• Our team was matched against the champions.

Pit against

Meaning: to set in direct opposition.

• The debate pitted two experts against each other.

Position, Direction & Physical Meaning

Flatten against

Meaning: to press firmly to a surface.

• He flattened the map against the wall.

Set against

Meaning: to cause opposition.

• The rumour set neighbours against one another.

Range against (formal)

Meaning: to align in opposition.

• The workers ranged themselves against the decision.

React against

Meaning: to respond negatively.

• People often react against sudden change.

Struggle against

Meaning: to try hard to overcome something.

• She struggled against illness for years.

Politics & Decision-Making

Vote against

Meaning: to oppose formally by voting.

• Residents voted against the development plan.

Final tip for learners

Many phrasal verbs with “against” appear in news articles, opinion essays, formal discussions and Cambridge speaking and writing tasks.

Instead of repeating oppose or disagree, use:

• stand against
• push back against
• rally against
• vote against

This will make your English sound more precise, varied, and advanced.

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