argue against

argue against

1. To state reasons in opposition to something. My uncle is an ardent liberal and argues against my mother's conservative beliefs every time they're together.
2. To serve as evidence in opposition to something. Hinton's novel argues against a simplistic understanding of teenage life in the 1960s.
See also: argue
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

argue against someone or something

 
1. Lit. [for someone] to make a case against someone or something; to oppose the choice of someone or something in an argument. I am preparing myself to argue against the case. Liz argued against Tom as the new president, but we chose him anyway.
2. Fig. [for something, such as facts] to support a case against someone or something in an argument; [for something, such as facts] to support a case against the choice of someone or something in an argument. I have uncovered something that argues against continuing this friendship. His own remarks argue against his qualifications for the office, but he probably will be elected anyway.
See also: argue
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

argue against

v.
1. To present reasons opposing something; make a case against something: In my history paper, I argued against the idea that we could have won the war.
2. To act as evidence against something: There are some new scientific discoveries that argue against earlier ideas about the growth of cells.
See also: argue
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • go to the stake
  • a man who stands for nothing will fall for anything
  • a peg on which to hang (something)
  • a peg on which to hang something
  • a peg to hang (something) on
  • a peg to hang a matter on
  • a peg to hang something on
  • find common ground
  • common ground
  • like breeds like
References in periodicals archive
Leung's observations may be true, but they are not adequate enough to argue against reality, which is that the Chinese government does not administer any of the airfields in Taiwan.
Former. Hong Kong chief claims 'China Airlines' is evidence that Taiwan is part of China
I think Land Rover would argue against that as all but the Defender have a monocoque chassis.
REVAMP FOR REXTON
Those that argue against it say the prolonged use of GMO is going to cause mass spread of cancer and reduced fertility, cause the eco system to collapse and increase the mortality rate in future generations.
"Salvation from starvation or a conspiracy against humanity?" reads the headline of another in the series of Nova Makedonija articles on genetically modified food, according to which countries in the world are divided and employ different GMO policies
THOSE who argue that we need to spend pounds 20 billion (and does anyone seriously think that won't be a massive underestimate?) on upgrading our independent nuclear deterrent - just in case some unspecified threat materialises 30 or 40 years down the line - are quite often the same people who argue against action on climate change, on the grounds that we're only 95 per cent certain that human activities are a major cause.
Letter: Your Say - To The Point
She suggested that Rhodri Morgan would argue against the job cuts in a meeting with the Treasury in March.
Letter: Job cuts
Gilligan told gay-rights activist Wayne Besen that she was "stunned" and "mortified" to see Dobson use her work to argue against same-sex parenting.
Dobson blasts Cheney's daughter for same-sex child-rearing plan
On the one hand, what sane person would argue against the logic of being able to buy a product at 50% of its current price?
Rail fare paradox
In addition, by combining the two, I would say that those who would argue against the Church are hoping to elicit the support of either group for the cause of the other, and this is wrong.
"Dissent"
Many civil rights proponents would not argue against the fact that race is more a social construct than a biological construct, but civil rights proponents would not negate the importance of the continued need for attention to governmental race-based initiatives such as affirmative action.
Heather M. Dalmage (Ed.), The Politics of Multiracialism: Challenging Racial Thinking
Murphy is in court to argue against certification of a class-action suit, saying the spill was an act of God, not negligence.
Murphy Oil Corp
In contrast, a separate team has reported that a sharp rise in melanoma cases among Medicare beneficiaries between 1986 and 2001 was "confined to early stage cancer." Researchers at Dartmouth Medical School in White River Junction, Vt., correlated a more than doubling in melanoma cases to an identical rise in screening for the disease and so argue against any rise in melanoma incidence.
Sun struck: data suggest skin cancer epidemic looms
It is telling that Willingham does not argue against the existence of human abilities outside the academic domains, such as kinesthetic skill, musical talent, and social insight.
Multiple intelligences
On the other hand, few would argue against most of the buildings on the list, certainly up to the most recent cases, where their inclusion must be provisional until test of time has run its course.
Architectural canon
In response, he provides both a description of the rhetorical brilliance of the Qur'an which "seizes the human heart" and "draws intellect" (sic) as well as a description of the rituals of Islam that he argues "pulsate with movement" to argue against the "inert" quality Gutas assigns to essentialized Islam (232).
An unfortunate response: Iqbal on Gutas
'I don't think anyone, even the most critical commentator of the activity of coalition forces, could argue against the fact that in large parts of Iraq the situation is measurably better than it was 12 months ago and when it was under Saddam Hussein,' he said.
Iraqis are better off says Hoon