up against

phrase

: confronted with : face-to-face with
the problem we are up against

Examples of up against in a Sentence

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The people living right up against the water were the last and only line of defense preventing water from coming in. — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026 Rather than having to force the optics right up against a flat specimen, the XL15 leaves enough space to inspect more awkward three-dimensional subjects, while still giving you a useful close-up view. — New Atlas, 27 Oct. 2026 Obama was at a rally in support of El-Sayed, who is up against Mike Rogers. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026 The story on the front page in Thursday's paper--at the very top, above the fold, butting up against the date--was hilarious, if unintentionally so. — Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for up against

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Cite this Entry

“Up against.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/up%20against. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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