count against

phrasal verb·1 sense·particle against

Usefulness

Meanings

1

Be considered a fact that makes success less likely

Disadvantage

Why “against”? A fact puts pressure on someone and makes success less likely.

“His lack of experience counted against him.”
His lack of experience was considered a disadvantage.
“The late application may count against us.”
The late application may make us less likely to succeed.

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Nearby in the meaning map

Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.

count down

Same base verb: count

Count backwards to zero before an event

count in

Same base verb: count

Include as a participant

count on

Same base verb: count

Rely on someone or something with confidence

count out

Same base verb: count

Count items one by one as you remove them

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