How to Use up against in a Sentence

up against

phrase
  • Flip your gaze upward, and the second bed is right there, nestled up against the headliner.
    — New Atlas, 3 July 2026
  • What are English teachers up against in the classroom in 2026?
    — Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • Most notably, though, is its easy-to-clean material, which one flight attendant appreciates when up against dirty baggage claims and surprise spills.
    — Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2026
  • The conditioning was excellent, and the layout offers fantastic variety, winding along the river and pressing up against a local airport.
    — Scott Kramer, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Muncy entered Stage 2 of All-Star fan voting this week as the favorite to claim the starting nod at third base, up against fellow finalist Alec Bohm.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • The British, meanwhile, have marked 250 years since Americans rose up against their colonial authority by minting a 250-ounce coin.
    — Max Grinstein, The Washington Examiner, 3 July 2026
  • Technology is improving quickly, and security teams, who are up against growing attack surfaces and constantly changing environments, are already stretched thin on talent.
    — Seemant Sehgal, Forbes.com, 24 Feb. 2026
  • The American Revolution is often told as a heroic story of 13 colonies rising up against a mighty empire and, with some help from France, winning their independence.
    — R. Grant Gilmore Iii, The Conversation, 30 June 2026
  • The lack of competition is another plus when comparing this year with 2022, which was shifted to November and December due to the heat in Qatar, putting the tournament up against football.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 3 July 2026
  • His next assignment appeared far more straightforward — up against Britain’s Arthur Fery, a man ranked more than 100 places below Shelton and with only one Grand Slam match win to his name before this week.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 2 July 2026
  • The nominees will also be up against former Congressman Greg Lopez, who left the Republican Party in January to run for governor as an unaffiliated candidate.
    — Jesse Sarles, CBS News, 1 July 2026
  • With that, Sarla is up against global players like Joby, Archer, Vertical Airspace, and SkyDrive, as well as Chinese outfits like eHang and TCab Tech.
    — New Atlas, 3 July 2026
  • Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association President Larry Calderone told Fox News Digital the video shows exactly what rank-and-file officers are up against when staffing runs thin.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'up against.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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