phrasal verb · neutral
come up against
/kʌm ʌp əˈɡenst/come·up·a·GAINST
to encounter problems or opposition
Examples
“When the small firm tried to expand, it came up against fierce competition.”
“Researchers often come up against ethical issues in clinical trials.”
“Many students come up against financial barriers when applying to university.”
Band 8 sentence
“When smaller companies attempt to expand into established markets, they frequently come up against fierce resistance from both incumbents and regulators.”
Collocations
- come up against resistance
- come up against obstacles
- come up against a problem
Word family
Common mistakes
come up the problem→come up against the problem
face with obstacles→face obstacles / come up against obstacles
Say it for a higher band
5meet→6face→7+come up against
Synonyms
face
Easily confused
face
“Small businesses often face resistance when they try to expand.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In come …
Learn it with its set