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

And now, the industry is contributing both to DeSantis’ political committee and to the Republican Party of Florida to work against the recreational marijuana proposal that is largely backed by the state and nation’s largest marijuana company, Trulieve. —Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 12 July 2024

Schaffner said Paxlovid, the antiviral medication for COVID, will still work against new variants. —John Loeppky, Verywell Health, 2 July 2024

Like Sam, Eric is hardly the archetype for this type of movie, and such an offbeat pairing, on a such oddly fatalistic mission, tends to work against the tension created whenever Day One erupts into action mode. —Damon Wise, Deadline, 27 June 2024

In highlighting exceptional violence, Elkins manages to work against her core argument that violence in the British Empire was routine and systemic. —Lauren Benton, Foreign Affairs, 21 June 2022