Phrasal verb
up against sth
Definition
phrasal verb. to face a very difficult problem or a strong opponent.
phrasal verb. to be confronted with a significant obstacle, challenge, or opposition that requires considerable effort to overcome.
Examples
“We are up against some very tough competition.”
“The small business is up against a massive corporation with a much larger marketing budget.”
“Environmental activists find themselves up against powerful industrial lobbies that possess significant political influence and financial resources.”
Examples
simple
“We are up against some very tough competition.”
contextual
“The small business is up against a massive corporation with a much larger marketing budget.”
complex
“Environmental activists find themselves up against powerful industrial lobbies that possess significant political influence and financial resources.”
Usage
usually used in the passive-style 'be up against' or 'find oneself up against'.
Teaching tip
highlight that 'sth' (something) usually refers to an abstract challenge like 'the clock' or 'the law', or a physical opponent.
Pitfall
We are up against to the deadline.
We are up against the deadline.
the phrase 'up against' already functions as a prepositional unit; do not add 'to' before the object.
Phrasal verb
Particles
up against
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
be + up + against + object