phrasal/prepositional verb · academic
run counter to
UK/rʌn ˈkaʊntə tuː/US/rʌn ˈkaʊntər tu/run COUN·ter to
to oppose or be contrary to something (ideas, policies, expectations)
Examples
“Such policies run counter to the government's stated goals.”
“His actions run counter to what he promised in public.”
“That conclusion runs counter to the available evidence.”
Band 8 sentence
“The proposed development runs counter to long‑term planning objectives, as evidenced by traffic and environmental studies.”
Collocations
- run counter to policy/expectations/evidence
Word family
Common mistakes
This action goes counter to the rules.→This action runs counter to the rules.
It is counter with our policy.→It runs counter to our policy.
Say it for a higher band
5go against→6contradict→7+run counter to
Synonyms
contradict
go against
Easily confused
contradict
“The witness's statement contradicts the defendant's alibi.”
Related words
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