swim upstream

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Verb

swim upstream (third-person singular simple present swims upstream, present participle swimming upstream, simple past swam upstream, past participle swum upstream)

1. (idiomatic) To opt for a difficult course of action when a simpler or safer alternative is available; to make an unwise decision against sound advice.

   I told my daughter to get her hair dyed at a salon, but she had to swim upstream and do it herself. Now it's a mess.

Synonyms

• do something the hard way