| Compound Forms: |
WordReference English-Spanish Dictionary © 2026:
| advise against [sth] vi + prep | (warn [sth] is unwise) | aconsejar en contra loc verb |
| | I'd advise against that course of action. |
| | Yo aconsejaría en contra de esa forma de proceder. |
| | | desaconsejar⇒ vtr |
| | Yo desaconsejaría tal proceder. |
| advise against doing [sth] v expr | (warn not to do [sth]) | no recomendar adv + vtr |
| | I'd advise against travelling alone in the desert. |
| | Yo no recomendaría viajar solo por el desierto. |
| advise [sb] against [sth] vtr + prep | (warn [sb] [sth] is unwise) | desaconsejar⇒ vtr |
| | I'd advise you against that approach, which can be costly. |
| | Yo desaconsejaría ese enfoque, que puede ser costoso. |
| advise [sb] against doing [sth] v expr | (warn [sb] not to do [sth]) | advertir contra loc verb |
| | | avisar⇒ vtr |
| | I'd advise you against sailing today; the weather is turning nasty. |
| | Te advertiría contra navegar hoy, el tiempo se está poniendo feo. |
| against all odds adv | (highly improbably) | contra todo pronóstico loc adv |
| | | contra toda posibilidad loc adv |
| | | contra toda lógica loc adv |
| | Julie fell out of the moving train. She survived against all odds. |
| | Julie se cayó del tren en marcha. Sobrevivió contra todo pronóstico. |
| against all risks clause n | (all-inclusive policy) | a todo riesgo loc prep |
| against expectations adv | (surprisingly) | en contra de lo que esperaba loc adv |
| | En contra de lo que se esperaba, la película fue un rotundo fracaso. |
against his will,
against her will adv | (in opposition to wishes) | contra su voluntad loc adv |
| | Abby was taken to the cabin in the woods against her will. |
| | Llevaron a Abby a la cabaña en el bosque contra su voluntad. |
| | | en contra de su voluntad loc adv |
| | Llevaron a Abby a la cabaña en el bosque en contra de su voluntad. |
| against the clock adv | (under pressure of time) | contra reloj loc adv |
| | It's seems as though I am always working against the clock! These deadlines are ridiculous. |
| against the flow adv | (opposite the current) (náutico) | contra la corriente loc adv |
| | | a contracorriente loc adv |
| | She set her kayak against the flow and began to paddle upstream. |
| | Colocó su kayak contra la corriente y empezó a remar río arriba. |
| against the flow adv | (against general movement) (movimiento) | contra la corriente loc adv |
| | | a contracorriente loc adv |
| | As the crowd of lemmings moved toward the cliff, a single animal went against the flow, heading back to the tundra. |
| against the flow adv | figurative (contrary to conventional opinion) (figurado) | contra la corriente loc adv |
| | | a contracorriente loc adv |
| | All my friends are going to college next year, but I'm going against the flow and attending a technical school. |
| against the law adj | (illegal) | ilegal adj |
| | Smoking marijuana is against the law. |
| | Fumar marihuana es ilegal. |
| | | contra la ley loc adj |
| | Fumar marihuana va contra la ley. |
| against the law adv | (illegally) | ilegalmente adv |
| | | por fuera de la ley loc adv |
| | He was driving against the law as he had just guzzled down seven pints of beer. |
| | Estaba manejando ilegalmente ya que se había bebido siete pintas de cerveza. |
| against time adj | (under pressure of time) | contrarreloj adj inv |
| | Residents are in a race against time as flood waters begin to crest along the river. |
| | Los residentes están en una carrera contrarreloj mientras el nivel de agua del río sigue creciendo. |
| | | contra el tiempo loc adj |
| against time adv | (under pressure of time) | contrarreloj adv |
| | They're racing against time to find a cure for her illness. |
| as against conj | (as opposed to) | al contrario de loc prep |
balance [sth] with [sth],
balance [sth] against [sth] vtr + prep | (offset) | compensar⇒ vtr |
| | Mindy balanced her long hours at work with a visit to the spa. |
| | Mindy compensó las largas horas que pasó en el trabajo con una visita al spa. |
| battle against [sth] vi + prep | figurative (strenuously oppose) | luchar contra vtr + prep |
| | He battled in vain against the factory closures. |
| | Luchó contra el cierre de la fábrica pero fue en vano. |
| battle against [sb] vi + prep | figurative (strenuously oppose) | enfrentarse a v prnl + prep |
| | Ed Miliband battled against his brother David for leadership of the Labour party. |
| | Ed Miliband se enfrentó a su hermano David para conseguir el liderazgo del Partido Laborista. |
| be insured against all liability v expr | (protected against insurance claims) | tener seguro a terceros, tener seguro para terceros loc verb |
| | (AR) | estar asegurado por responsabilidad civil contra terceros loc verb |
| bear a grudge against [sb] v expr | (be resentful) | ser resentido, estar resentido loc verb |
| | Fred bore a grudge against his brothers. |
| bear a grudge against [sb] for [sth] v expr | (be resentful) | ser rencoroso, estar rencoroso loc verb |
| | Julie bears a grudge against her neighbour for cutting down a hedge that was actually on Julie's property. |
| bear false witness against [sb] v expr | (Bible: lie about [sb]) | dar falso testimonio contra, levantar falso testimonio contra loc verb |
| | You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. |
| | No debes dar falso testimonio contra tus semejantes. |
| bear witness against [sb] v expr | (testify) | testificar contra vtr + prep |
| | | atestiguar contra vtr + prep |
| | A wife cannot be forced to bear witness against her husband. |
| | Una mujer no puede ser obligada a testificar contra su marido. |
| benchmark [sth] against [sth] vtr + prep | (measure against a standard) | comparar con vtr + prep |
| | The state's department of education benchmarks their salary scale against those of other government agencies. |
| | El ministerio de educación estatal compara su escala salarial con la de otras agencias gubernamentales. |
| bet against [sth] vi + prep | (wager against [sth]) | apostar contra vtr + prep |
| | Oscar lost his money because he bet against the winning horse. |
| | Oscar perdió su dinero porque apostó contra el caballo ganador. |
| bet against [sth] vi + prep | figurative (assume [sth] will fail) | apostar contra vtr + prep |
| | I wouldn't bet against his getting the promotion. |
| | No apostaría contra que consiga el aumento. |
| bias against [sth/sb] n | (prejudice: against) | prejuicio contra mn + prep |
| | The manager was fired because of his bias against women. |
| | El gerente fue despedido por su prejuicio contra las mujeres. |
| bias [sb] against [sb/sth] vtr + prep | (prejudice, influence [sb] against) | predisponer en contra de vtr + loc prep |
| | The media may have biased people against voting for Taylor. |
| | Quizás los medios de comunicación predispusieron a la gente en contra de votar por Taylor. |
bring [sth],
bring [sth] against [sb]⇒ vtr | (legal: put [sth] forward) (demanda) | poner⇒, interponer⇒ vtr |
| | (jurídico) | presentar⇒, formular⇒ vtr |
| | | poner contra, interponer contra vtr + prep |
| | She brought a lawsuit against her employer. |
| | Ella puso una demanda contra su patrón. |
| | Próximamente formularemos los cargos que correspondan. |
| bring charges against [sb] v expr | (accuse [sb] officially) | presentar cargos contra alguien loc verb |
| brush up against [sth/sb] v expr | (touch) (sin intención) | rozar⇒ vtr |
| | I brushed up against him just as he was leaving. |
| | Lo rocé cuando estaba saliendo. |
| buck against [sth] vi + prep | figurative (reject, oppose) | ir en contra de loc verb |
| | | volverse contra loc verb |
| | | rebelarse contra loc verb |
| | Congress bucked against the president's proposal. |
| | Los congresistas fueron en contra de la propuesta del presidente. |
| butt up against [sth] v expr | (be adjacent to) | lindar con vi + prep |
| | The decorative moulding butts up against the door. |
| | Las molduras decorativas lindan con la puerta. |
| campaign against [sth] vi + prep | (protest against [sth]) | hacer campaña en contra de loc verb |
| | | luchar contra vi + prep |
| | The Abolitionists were campaigning against the slave trade. |
| | Los abolicionistas hicieron campaña en contra del comercio de esclavos. |
| | Los abolicionistas lucharon contra el comercio de esclavos. |
caution against [sth],
caution against doing [sth] vi + prep | (warn against [sth]) | advertir contra vi + prep |
| | | alertar sobre vi + prep |
| | The doctor cautioned against eating too many sweets. |
| | The lifeguard cautioned against the use of floats when swimming in the sea. |
| | El médico advirtió contra el consumo excesivo de dulces. |
| caution [sb] against doing [sth] v expr | (warn not to do [sth]) | advertir a alguien que no haga algo loc verb + prep |
| | | advertir a alguien en contra de hacer algo loc verb + prep |
| check [sth] against [sth] v expr | (compare, contrast two things) (dos cosas) | comparar⇒, cotejar⇒ vtr |
| | Shannon checked her calendar against her boss's to see if there were any conflicts. |
| compete against [sth/sb] vi + prep | (sports, competition: try to beat) | competir contra vi + prep |
| | | enfrentarse a v prnl + prep |
| | Edwards will be competing against some of the best athletes in the world. |
| | Edwards competirá contra algunos de los mejores atletas del mundo. |
contend with [sth],
contend against [sth] vi + prep | (struggle against) | luchar con, luchar contra vi + prep |
| | | lidiar con vi + prep |
| | | enfrentarse a v prnl + prep |
| | Scott found it impossible to contend with the blizzard. |
| | A Scott le resultó imposible luchar contra la ventisca. |
| contend against [sb/sth] vi + prep | formal (oppose, dispute) | competir contra vi + prep |
| | Protesters contended against the developers. |
| count against [sb] vi + prep | (be detrimental) | pesar en contra de alguien loc verb |
| | | ir en detrimento de alguien loc verb |
| | His criminal record will count against him when he starts applying for jobs. |
| | Sus antecedentes penales pesarán en su contra cuando empiece a buscar trabajo. |
| crash against [sth] vi + prep | (hit hard) | estrellarse contra v prnl + prep |
| | Waves crashed against the shore. |
| | Las olas se estrellaron contra la costa. |
| crime against humanity n | often plural (atrocity) | crimen de lesa humanidad loc nom m |
| | Genocide is a crime against humanity. |
| | El genocidio es un crimen de lesa humanidad. |
| | | crimen contra la humanidad loc nom m |
| | El genocidio es un crimen contra la humanidad. |
| crime against property n | usually plural (law: damage of item) (Derecho) | delito contra la propiedad nm + loc adj |
| | (Derecho) | delito contra el patrimonio nm + loc adj |
| Crimes Against Persons npl | (law: violent offences) | delitos contra las personas nmpl |
| crusade against [sth] vi + prep | figurative (campaign against, oppose) | hacer campaña contra loc verb + prep |
| | | luchar contra vi + prep |
| | She's always crusading against injustice, wherever she finds it. |
| | Siempre está haciendo campaña contra la injusticia, donde sea que la encuentre. |
dash [sth] against [sth],
dash [sth] into [sth] vtr + prep | (throw [sth] against) | estrellar algo contra loc verb |
| | | romper algo contra loc verb |
| | | lanzar algo contra loc verb |
| | Janet dashed the plate against the wall. |
| | Janet estalló el plato contra la pared. |
| dash against [sth] vi + prep | (strike) | estrellarse contra v prnl + prep |
| | Waves dashed against the shore. |
| | Las olas se estrellaban contra la orilla. |
| dead against [sb/sth] adj + prep | informal (totally opposed to) | oponerse a muerte loc verb |
| | | estar a muerte contra expr |
| | I wanted to go to Art School, but my parents were dead against it. |
| | Yo quería ir a la Escuela de Arte, pero mis padres se oponían a muerte. |
| dead set against [sth] adj + prep | informal (resolutely opposed to) | empeñado contra adj + prep |
| | Jerry was dead set against the Prime Minister's proposal. |
| decide against [sth] vi + prep | (reject an option) | rechazar⇒ vtr |
| | Sarah decided against a third cupcake as she was full. |
| | Sarah rechazó la tercera magdalena porque estaba llena. |
| decide against doing [sth] v expr | (choose not to) | decidirse a no hacer algo loc verb |
| | I decided against going on holiday this year, since I had just lost my job. |
| | Me decidí a no irme de vacaciones ya que acabo de perder mi trabajo. |
| declare against [sth/sb] vi + prep | (announce opposition to) | declararse en contra de loc verb |
| | | manifestarse en contra de loc verb |
declare war on [sb/sth],
declare war against [sb/sth] v expr | (state intention to make war with) | declararle la guerra a loc verb |
| | | declarar la guerra contra loc verb |
| | France declared war on Prussia on July 19, 1870. |
| | On July 28th 1914 Austria-Hungary declared war against Serbia. |
| | Francia le declaró la guerra a Prusia el 28 de julio de 1870. // El Imperio austrohúngaro le declaró la guerra a Serbia el 28 de julio de 1914. |
| defend against [sth] vi + prep | (protect) | defenderse de v prnl + prep |
| | Medieval castles had moats, drawbridges and other structures to defend against attack. |
| | Los castillos medievales tenían fosos, puentes y otras estructuras para defenderse de los ataques. |
| defend [sb/sth] against [sb/sth] vtr + prep | (protect) | defender a alguien de loc verb |
| | Lisa defended her friend against the bully. |
| | Mark was unable to defend himself against his attackers. |
| | Lisa defendió a su amiga del brabucón. |
| demonstrate against [sth/sb] vi + prep | (protest publicly about) | manifestarse contra v prnl + prep |
| | | manifestarse en contra de v prnl + loc prep |
| | Protesters are demonstrating against the government. |
| | Los manifestantes se manifiestan contra el gobierno. |
| discriminate against [sb] vi + prep | (show prejudice against) | discriminar a vtr + prep |
| | It is illegal to discriminate against someone because of his or her age. |
| | Es ilegal discriminar a alguien por su edad. |
| fight against [sth] vi + prep | (contend) | luchar contra, pelear contra vi + prep |
| | He fought against the new regulations. |
| | Luchó contra las nuevas normas. |
| fulminate against [sth/sb] vi + prep | (denounce, criticize strongly) (figurado) | fulminar⇒ vtr |
| go against the grain v expr | figurative (be unconventional) | ir contra la corriente expr |
| | | ir a contrapelo expr |
| | | ir a contracorriente exor |
| go against the grain v expr | figurative (be uncharacteristic) | ir contra la tendencia natural loc verb |
| | | ir contra la naturaleza loc verb |
| | Your acting dishonestly certainly goes against the grain. |
| | Tu comportamiento deshonesto va contra tu tendencia natural. |
| guard against [sth/sb] vi + prep | (be cautious) | cuidarse de v prnl + prep |
| | | protegerse de v prnl + prep |
| | The travel agent had warned Beth to guard against pickpockets when she traveled abroad. |
| | La agente de viajes le dijo a Beth que se cuidara de los ladrones cuando viajara al exterior. |
| have a bias against [sb/sth] v expr | (be prejudiced against) | estar sesgado contra, tener sesgo contra loc verb |
| | | estar predispuesto en contra de loc verb |
| | (MX, coloquial) | tenerle mala fe a loc verb |
| | (ES, coloquial) | tenerle tirria a, tenerle ojeriza a, tenerle manía a loc verb |
| | They have a bias against assertive women. |
| | Le tienen mala fe a las mujeres con determinación. |
have something against [sth],
have something against doing [sth] v expr | (be opposed to) | tener algo en contra de loc verb |
| | | tener algo contra loc verb |
| have something against [sb] v expr | (dislike [sb]) | tener algo en contra de loc verb |
| | | tener algo contra loc verb |
| hold a grudge against [sb] v expr | (resent: [sb]) | guardar rencor loc verb |
| | | tenérsela jurada loc verb |
| | Peter holds a grudge against his co-worker, who received the promotion that Peter was hoping for. |
| | Peter le guarda rencor a su compañero, que recibió el ascenso que Peter estaba esperando. |
| hold [sth] against [sb] v expr | (resent [sb] for [sth]) | achacar⇒ vtr |
| | | echar en cara loc verb |
| | | recriminar⇒ vtr |
| | They still hold my past mistakes against me. |
| | Todavía me achacan los errores que cometí en el pasado. |
| hold it against [sb] v expr | informal (bear a grudge) | estar resentido con alguien loc verb |
| | She insulted him years ago, and he still holds it against her. |
| | Lo insultó hace años, y él todavía esta resentido con ella. |
| | | reprochárselo v prnl |
| | Lo insultó hace años, y él todavía se lo reprocha. |
| | | echárselo en cara a alguien loc verb |
| | Lo insultó hace años, y él todavía se lo echa en cara. |
| hold [sth] against [sb] v expr | (hold a grudge) | reprochar algo a alguien loc verb |
| | I won't hold it against you if you don't want to join me. |
| | Si prefieres quedarte, no hay problema, no te lo voy a reprochar. |
| hope against hope v expr | (stay optimistic) | mantener la esperanza, esperar contra pronóstico, esperar aunque sea poco probable loc verb |
| | | seguir confiando loc verb |
| | We are hoping against hope that one day he'll come home to us. |
| | Todavía mantenemos la esperanza de que vuelva a casa algún día. |
immunize [sb] against [sth],
also UK: immunise [sb] against [sth] vtr + prep | (vaccinate [sb] against [sth]) | vacunar a alguien contra loc verb |
| | | inmunizar a alguien contra loc verb |
| | Children in the U.S. are all immunized against polio. |
| | Todos los niños en los Estados Unidos son vacunados contra la polio. |
| indemnify [sb/sth] against [sth] vtr + prep | (insure: against [sth]) | asegurar a alguien contra loc verb |
| | This policy will indemnify you against all loss in case of fires, floods, or theft. |
| | Esta póliza te asegura contra toda pérdida en caso de incendio, inundaciones o robo. |
| indemnity against liability n | (law: protected, immune) | seguro de responsabilidad civil loc nom m |
| | | indemnización por responsabilidad civil loc nom f |
| insure [sth] against [sth] vtr + prep | (protect financially in case of [sth]) (situación adversa: protección) | asegurar contra vi + prep |
| inveigh against [sth] vi + prep | formal (attack or criticize [sb] verbally) | vituperar contra vtr + prep |
| | The priest inveighed against premarital sex. |
| | El cura vituperó contra el sexo prematrimonial. |