work against (someone)

phrasal verb

worked against (someone); working against (someone); works against (someone)

: to contribute to a negative result for someone : make something less likely to happen for someone

Her lack of experience worked against her in the election.

Examples of work against (someone) in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Trump's lack of remorse or admission of wrongdoing could work against the former president at sentencing, where Merchan can consider Trump's overall history and character. —

Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 13 June 2024 Insect repellents do not work against bed bugs, according to the University of Kentucky. —

John Tufts, The Courier-Journal, 12 June 2024 On top of that, people who had gotten sick with COVID in the winter likely built immunity for JN.1, but those same defenses might not work against KP.2. —

Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 5 June 2024 Puerto Rico also faces a number of forces that work against efforts to eradicate invasive species that are largely out of DRNA’s control, from natural disasters to the island’s much broader financial hardship. —

Benji Jones, Vox, 21 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for work against (someone)

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

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“Work against (someone).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/work%20against%20%28someone%29. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.

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