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 But Japanese and Korean policymakers don’t want to work against the conglomerates that have helped their countries become two of the richest and most innovate economies in the world. —

Will Daniel, Fortune Asia, 30 June 2024 That guarantee can sometimes work against depth players with experience. —

Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 24 June 2024 Voters need to recognize and work against candidates who try to encourage and mobilize this loss of faith in our institutions. —

Kenneth S. Birnbaum, Baltimore Sun, 21 June 2024 The rest of the group took a placebo with ritonavir, which doesn't work against the SARS-CoV-2 virus on its own. —

Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 7 June 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.

Cite this Entry

Style

“Work against (someone).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/work%20against%20%28someone%29. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.

Copy Citation