Idiom
swim upstream
Meaning
To opt for a difficult course of action when a simpler or safer alternative is available; to make an unwise decision against sound advice.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He likes to swim upstream by ignoring everyone's advice.”
“Starting a business in this economy is like swimming upstream, but she is determined to make it work.”
“By choosing to challenge the established industry standards, the young innovator knew he would be swimming upstream against a tide of skepticism.”
Examples
simple
“He likes to swim upstream by ignoring everyone's advice.”
contextual
“Starting a business in this economy is like swimming upstream, but she is determined to make it work.”
complex
“By choosing to challenge the established industry standards, the young innovator knew he would be swimming upstream against a tide of skepticism.”
Key words
Related idioms
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