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A bill brought by a defendant, in an equity or chancery suit, against the plaintiff, respecting the matter in question in that suit. Bouvier.

Any enterprise undertaken with zeal and enthusiasm; as, a crusade against intemperance.

cut. Lev. xxii. 24. The ass . . . thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall. Num. xxii. 25.

To complain loudly; to lament. -- To cry out against, to complain loudly of; to censure; to blame. -- To cry out on or upon, to denounce; to censure. "Cries out upon abuses." Shak. -- To cry to, to call on in prayer; to implore. -- To cry you mercy, to beg your pardon. "I cry you mercy, madam; was it you" Shak.…

p attached to the upper part of the branches of a bit, and capable of being drawn tightly against the lower jaw of the horse. He that before ran in the pastures wild Felt the stiff curb control his angry jaws. Drayton. By these men, religion,that should be The curb, is made the spur of tyranny. Denham.…

throw with violence or haste; to cause to strike violently or hastily; -- often used with against. If you dash a stone against a stone in the botton of the water, it maketh a sound. Bacon.

mall beetle (Anobium tessellatum and other allied species). By forcibly striking its head against woodwork it makes a ticking sound, which is a call of the sexes to each other, but has been imagined by superstitious people to presage death.

to strive to maintain by reasoning; to dispute; to contest; to discuss; to argue for and against. A wise council . . . that did debate this business. Shak. Debate thy cause with thy neighbor himself. Prov. xxv. 9.

One of those who conspired for constitutional government against the Emperor Nicholas on his accession to the throne at the death of Alexander I., in December, 1825; -- called also Dekabrist.

declaration, or an open and explicit avowal; to proclaim one's self; -- often with for or against; as, victory declares against the allies. Like fawning courtiers, for success they wait, And then come smiling, and declare for fate. Dryden.

To cry down; to censure as faulty, mean, or worthless; to clamor against; to blame clamorously; to discredit; to disparage. For small errors they whole plays decry. Dryden. Measures which are extolled by one half of the kingdom are naturally decried by the other. Addison.

resent in court, and make entry of his default, if he fails to appear; to enter a default against.

To repel danger or harm from; to protect; to secure against; attack; to maintain against force or argument; to uphold; to guard; as, to defend a town; to defend a cause; to defend character; to defend the absent; -- sometimes followed by from or against; as, to defend one's self from, or against, one's enemies. The lor…

r prosecutor's case; the method of proceeding adopted by the defendant to protect himself against the plaintiff's action.

One against whom a fictitious action of fine was brought. [Obs.] Burrill.

hat fall Degraded, to what wretched state reserved! Milton. He pride . . . struggled hard against this degrading passion. Macaulay.

Dissuasion; advice against something. [R.]

To carry or bring against, as a charge; to inform against; to accuse; to denounce. As men were delated, they were marked down for such a fine. Bp. Burnet.

To weigh in the mind; to consider the reasons for and against; to consider maturely; to reflect upon; to ponder; as, to deliberate a question.

The act of deliberating, or of weighing and examining the reasons for and against a choice or measure; careful consideration; mature reflection. Choosing the fairest way with a calm deliberation. W. Montagu.