Meaning & use
bucking the trend
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
Doing the opposite of what most people or things are doing; going against the usual pattern.
Grammar: Used as a participial phrase, often after 'be' or 'keep' to describe someone or something that resists a general tendency.
Patterns
- be bucking the trend
- keep bucking the trend
- buck the trend
While most shops are closing, this small bookstore is bucking the trend and opening new branches.
The company is bucking the trend by increasing wages when others are cutting costs.
Some young people are bucking the trend and moving back to rural areas.
Common combinations
- buck the trend
- The new restaurant bucks the trend by offering free meals to children.
- bucking the trend in
- She is bucking the trend in fashion by wearing only second-hand clothes.
- bucking the trend of
- The team is bucking the trend of declining attendance.
- bucking the downward trend
- Their sales are bucking the downward trend in the industry.
Synonyms and how they differ
- going against the grain
- Similar meaning, but often used for personal behavior rather than statistical trends.
- flying in the face of
- Stronger and more confrontational; suggests actively opposing something.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: bucking the trend or buck the system?
bucking the trend vs buck the system
Means to resist rules or authority, not just a trend.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The phrase 'bucking the trend' is followed by 'by + -ing' to show how the action is done. The other options use incorrect prepositions or omit 'by'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bucking the trend”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.