go against
phrasal verb
went against; gone against; going against; goes against
1
: to not agree with (something)
I won't do anything that goes against my conscience/beliefs/principles.
values that go against those of society
2
: 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.
3
: 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.
4
: 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
There is of course a social and political undercurrent to the movie, as is customary for Magliano, going against the grain and reclaiming time to pause and reflect.
—
Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 20 June 2025
Sometimes those special circumstances go against national pride: there have been fallow years for British tennis in which the club has decided not to award all the wild cards, instead giving the spots to the players ranked just outside the cutoff for entry.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 19 June 2025
One ongoing Supreme Court case, Mahmoud v. Taylor, appears likely to rule that parents can opt their children out of classroom books that include representations of gender and sexuality that go against their religion.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 19 June 2025
The federal government has alleged that their participation in protests, or in some cases writing an op-ed or teaching a class, could be seen as antisemitic or in support of Hamas, therefore going against U.S. foreign policy.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for go against
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Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 20 June 2025
Sometimes those special circumstances go against national pride: there have been fallow years for British tennis in which the club has decided not to award all the wild cards, instead giving the spots to the players ranked just outside the cutoff for entry.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 19 June 2025
One ongoing Supreme Court case, Mahmoud v. Taylor, appears likely to rule that parents can opt their children out of classroom books that include representations of gender and sexuality that go against their religion.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 19 June 2025
The federal government has alleged that their participation in protests, or in some cases writing an op-ed or teaching a class, could be seen as antisemitic or in support of Hamas, therefore going against U.S. foreign policy.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for go against
Cite this Entry
“Go against.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20against. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.
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