up against something
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
facing a problem or challenge
Literally: physically close to something
Register: neutral
Examples
The team is up against a tough opponent.
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Everyday learner phrase (CEFR C1); level cross-referenced from published learner lists. Definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-01; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “up against something” mean?
facing a problem or challenge Literally: physically close to something
Is “up against something” formal or informal?
up against something is generally neutral.