contend against

contend against (someone or something)

To compete against someone or something. Andy hasn't trained enough to contend against other swimmers his age. If you push him to enter this race, he'll just end up disappointed.
See also: contend
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

contend against someone or something

to fight or compete against someone or something. Do we have to contend against all this criticism? Ed refuses to have to contend against Eric.
See also: contend
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • contend
  • contend against (someone or something)
  • get up against
  • get up against (someone or something)
  • clash
  • clash against
  • clash against (someone or something)
  • against
  • against (someone or something)
  • fortify (someone or something) against (something) with (something)
References in periodicals archive
But Petron will have to contend against the winner between F2 Logistics and PLDT in the other semifinal duel.
But although booming with confidence, Saso has to contend against a field teeming with talent at the Manila Golf and Country Club inside Forbes Park.
O'Rourke may also have to contend against former vice-president Joe Biden. 
To contend against the circuit's long hitters, Ardina also emphasized the need to improve on her length and at the same time polish her approach shots and putting.
Fellow Nigerians, we can only stand a chance to win the fight against corruption and position our dear nation for accelerated development when we stand together to contend against it.
Salahuddin secured 147,040 against 24,108 of PPP's Irfan Qureshi and Hussain 135,886 votes against 10,990 of JUP-N's Zubair.In the ongoing contest, MQM-P has again fielded Salahuddin to contend against JUP-N's Zubair, MMA's Karamat Ali Rajput and PTI's Mohammad Hakim and Pak Sarzameen Party's Abdul Rasheed Arain, among others.
Sources told, four minors including three girls Salma, Amina, Hussaina and Arsalan jumped in the river Bairi Khor to kill the scorching heat but could not contend against the strong waves and drowned.
With the presence of our seasoned locals and two powerful imports, we're confident that we can contend against the heavyweights of the Grand Prix."
So, the AI will have to contend against strategies coming from five human minds instead of just one.
Players will have to contend against the main villain - the Engineer, who has sophisticated and well thought-out mechanics of the behavior, which will become a real challenge for fans of the PvE component of the game.
At this crucial stage, those candidates who mostly belong to the lower-middle class are on the verge of withdrawal from the electoral process as they have to contend against those well-heeled individuals who have already held office earlier and don't need any financial support to run their election campaign.
The FIFA report expects China to "contend against England" as the biggest spender worldwide in the first two months of 2016 once their window closes on February 26 with Chelsea midfielder Ramires and Atletico Madrid forward Jackson Martinez both joining Jiangsu Suning for large sums.
The World and European Indoor 60m champion will be hoping to contend against Jamaican superstar Bolt along with six of his Great Britain and Northern Ireland team-mates including new British champion 100m champion Chijindu Ujah and European champion James Dasaolu.
And lawyer Alejandro Balbi, who is also a member of Uruguay's FA, said: "Legally it's easier to contend against the terms of the ban that forbid him from training and being at the club because they violate fundamental rights."
Balbi told Uruguayan newspaper El Observador: "It would be more logical to reduce the sanction by a few months than to reduce the ban concerning international games, because legally it's easier to contend against the terms of the suspension that forbid him from training and from being at the club, because they violate fundamental rights.