From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishup against something/somebodyup against something/somebodyDEAL WITHhaving to deal with a difficult situation or opponent He came up against a lot of problems with his boss. Murphy will be really up against it when he faces the champion this afternoon. → up
Examples from the Corpus
up against it• Gingerly he reached forward, found a wall and levered himself up against it.• Having lost twice to Ards this season, manager Billy Sinclair knows his improving side will be up against it.• However, if it was too successful, it sooner or later found the others lined up against it.• The whole weight of the State would be ganged up against it.• There was another Bentley outside the grey slate Gothic place with a smart yellow Cortina snuggling up against it.• Three Rose was up against it.• Then it returned to the original wagon and backed up against it again.• A state is totally up against it when it wants to kill somebody. 