Webster's English Dictionary

Enter the word to look up:

against

1. against \*-gen(t)st, -'gin(t)st\ pp [ME, alter. of againes, fr. again] 
   1a: directly opposite : FACING  obs  1b: exposed to  2a: in opposition or 
   hostility to  2b: as a defense or protection from  3: compared or 
   contrasted with  4: in preparation or provision for  5a: in the direction 
   of and into contact with  5b: in contact with  6: in a direction opposite 
   to the motion or course of  7a: as a counterbalance to  7b: in exchange for 
    7c: as a charge on  8: before the background of 
2. against cj archaic  : in preparation for the time when : BEFORE