Phrasal verb
have against
Definition
phrasal verb. to have a specific reason for disliking or not trusting someone or something.
phrasal verb. to hold a grudge or possess a specific reason for hostility or prejudice toward a person or entity; typically used in interrogative or negative constructions.
Examples
“I don't know what you have against my brother.”
“The manager seems to have something against me because he never approves my holiday requests.”
“It remains unclear what the committee could possibly have against the proposal, given that it meets every single budgetary requirement they previously established.”
Examples
simple
“I don't know what you have against my brother.”
contextual
“The manager seems to have something against me because he never approves my holiday requests.”
complex
“It remains unclear what the committee could possibly have against the proposal, given that it meets every single budgetary requirement they previously established.”
Usage
usually requires an object (like 'something', 'nothing', or 'what') between 'have' and 'against'.
Teaching tip
point out that this is almost always used with 'what', 'something', 'anything', or 'nothing' to quantify the level of dislike.
Pitfall
What do you have against to him?
What do you have against him?
the preposition 'against' is followed directly by the object without 'to'.
Phrasal verb
Particles
against
Separability
separable
Pattern
have + object + against + person/thing
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related words
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/have-against