up against a/the wall
idiom
informal
: in a very bad position or situation
The team was up against a wall in the first half of the game.
Examples of up against a/the wall in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Abreu leapt up against the wall and batted the ball back into play, landing right in Rafaela’s waiting hands.
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Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 15 May 2025
Meanwhile, on the court, Dončić and the Lakers have their backs up against the wall after a 116-113 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of their first round series has them down 3-1.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Stabler monologues a little bit, then shakes, zips up and bashes the guy up against the wall without washing his hands.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 17 Apr. 2025
It’s boosted by a dance trend, usually with the dancer or dancers shown up against a wall, and it’s led to a 15% boost in streams for the song (which was released in 2011 as part of Tha Carter IV and peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100) to 4.1 million.
—Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for up against a/the wall
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Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 15 May 2025
Meanwhile, on the court, Dončić and the Lakers have their backs up against the wall after a 116-113 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of their first round series has them down 3-1.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Stabler monologues a little bit, then shakes, zips up and bashes the guy up against the wall without washing his hands.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 17 Apr. 2025
It’s boosted by a dance trend, usually with the dancer or dancers shown up against a wall, and it’s led to a 15% boost in streams for the song (which was released in 2011 as part of Tha Carter IV and peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100) to 4.1 million.
—Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for up against a/the wall
Cite this Entry
“Up against a/the wall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/up%20against%20a%2Fthe%20wall. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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