go against

phrasal verb

went against; gone against; going against; goes against

: to not agree with (something)

I won't do anything that goes against my conscience/beliefs/principles.

values that go against those of society

: to oppose (someone or something)

He was surprised when some of his former supporters went against him.

He was reluctant to go against his parents' wishes.

: to compete against (a player or team) in a contest or game

The Red Sox will be going against the Yankees in tonight's game.

: to not be good for (someone) : to not produce the result that is wanted by (someone)

Everything seemed to be going against her but she didn't give up hope.

The verdict went against the defendant.

Examples of go against in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Tinder cofounder Whitney Wolfe Herd started Bumble in 2014 as a woman-first dating app, yet many social media users said the anti-celibacy campaign went against its principles. —

Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 14 May 2024 This is a team that started with no first-round picks in 2022 and ended up with three — and then went against convention and selected defenseman Kevin Korchinski at No. 7, considered a reach at the time. —

Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2024 But Chiquitita suggests that the group's celebration during a time of growing bloodshed in Palestine goes against what ACT UP (which stands for AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power and was formed amid the AIDS crisis in the 1980s) stands for. —

EW.com, 12 May 2024 Steward has had a long-standing dispute with Massachusetts officials for going against a state rule and keeping its financial information a secret for years. —

Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 11 May 2024 Democrats who go against labor priorities have been known to pay a price. —

Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2024 While some wedding barn owners already have a liquor license, others have said the new requirement is too expensive and goes against their business model of hosting events, not making or selling alcohol. —

Hope Karnopp, Journal Sentinel, 8 May 2024 The suit alleges that the presence of these chemicals goes against the brand’s advertising as free of harmful chemicals and toxic metals. —

Nicole Crawford, Verywell Health, 6 May 2024 The Royals, who have operated at lightspeed with this season’s rebuild efforts, looked to keep their winning ways going against the Texas Rangers. —

Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 5 May 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'go against.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.