fighting against

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitive

   Struggling or battling against someone or something that opposes you.

   Grammar: The verb 'fight' is intransitive here; 'against' introduces the opponent or problem: 'fighting against injustice'.

   Patterns

   • fighting against someone
   • fighting against something
   • fighting against an idea
   • fighting against a disease

   The villagers are fighting against the construction of a new factory.

   She has spent her life fighting against discrimination.

   The doctors are fighting against the spread of the virus.

2. 2noununcountable

   The act of opposing or resisting something.

   Grammar: Used as a gerund (noun form) after prepositions or as a subject: 'Fighting against corruption is important.'

   Patterns

   • the fighting against something
   • fighting against something is ...

   Fighting against poverty requires a global effort.

   Their fighting against the regime lasted for years.

Common combinations

fighting against corruption

The new government promised to keep fighting against corruption.

fighting against time

Rescue workers were fighting against time to find survivors.

fighting against all odds

She kept fighting against all odds to achieve her dream.

fighting against the current

Swimming here is like fighting against the current.

Synonyms and how they differ

battling against

Battling against is more dramatic and often used for serious struggles; fighting against is more general.

struggling against

Struggling against emphasizes difficulty and effort, while fighting against suggests active opposition.

Opposites

Word family

fight verb

To use force or arguments against someone or something.

fighter noun

A person who fights or struggles for a cause.

Commonly confused: fighting against or fighting with?

Practice

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