Also:
Run up against
Meaning of Idiom ‘Run Against’
1. Similar to run into (second definition). To encounter something, usually a difficulty. Often expressed as “run up against.”
2. To work against; to oppose.
3. To oppose as a candidate for elective office. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
Examples Of Use
“She ran against a long-established incumbent and won.”
“Up until now, nobody has dared to run against him.”
“I wonder who will run against Senator Mayfield this year?”
“Someone needs to run against this corrupt and incompetent conman. It may as well be me.”
“We ran up against so many problems with the new point of sale system we had to go back to the old one.”
“Public opinion was running against the governor for his entire term in office.”
“For the first time, an effective opponent has decided to run against the senator.”
Origin
The first two definitions, above, have been in use since the late 1300s. The third, in regards to elective office, alludes to running a footrace, and has been used since the first half of the 1800s. 2Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
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