go against — oppose or violate
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to do something that is not in agreement with a rule, belief, or someone's wishes; to oppose or act against something or someone.
Say it like a native
Textbook Her decision was in direct contravention of company policy.
Native Her decision went against company policy.
'Go against' is the everyday verb; 'in contravention of' is legal/formal.
Pattern: go against + noun/pronoun
In use
- He didn't want to go against his parents' advice, but he chose a different career.daily life
- In my opinion, it is sometimes necessary to go against tradition if you want to achieve something new.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ It goes against to my beliefs.
✓ It goes against my beliefs.
'Go against' takes the object directly — no 'to'.
Common collocations
go against + rule/wish— the rules, my instincts, advice, the grain
Don't confuse it
'Go with' means to support or agree with something, while 'go against' means to oppose it.