What does contre mean in French?

Against, in three senses: physical contact under pressure (appuyé contre le mur), opposition (voter contre), and exchange (échanger contre). It also gives par contre, on the other hand, and le pour et le contre, the pros and cons.

Why is it un sirop contre la toux and not pour la toux?

Because the syrup fights the cough. Whenever the noun after the preposition is a problem, an illness or a risk, French uses contre: une assurance contre le vol, un vaccin contre la grippe.

What does par contre mean?

On the other hand, or however. It introduces a contrast with the previous statement and takes a whole clause, not a noun: il est timide ; par contre, il parle très bien en public. En revanche is its formal equivalent.

What's the difference between contre and sur for leaning?

Sur is resting on top of something, contre is pressing sideways into it. A book lies sur la table, a ladder leans contre le mur, and a person can s'appuyer contre a doorframe.

Does contre contract with le or les?

No. Only à and de contract with the definite article, so contre le mur, contre la porte and contre les règles all stay as they are.

French grammar · Intermediate

Contre in French: Against, Touching, and In Exchange For

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Contre means against: physically touching (appuyé contre le mur), in opposition (voter contre le projet), or in exchange (échanger contre autre chose). It is also the word behind par contre, on the other hand, and le pour et le contre, the pros and cons.

L'échelle est appuyée contre le mur.

The ladder is leaning against the wall.

What it is

Contre describes two things pressed together. That single image explains its whole range: a back against a wall, an argument against a proposal, one currency against another. Something is meeting resistance, and contre marks what it is meeting.

Il s'est adossé contre la porte, contre l'avis de tout le monde. — He leaned back against the door, against everybody's advice.

How to spot it

Ask whether the two things are in contact or in conflict. Both are contre; nothing else is.

tout contre moi — right up against me (contact)
lutter contre le racisme — to fight against racism (opposition)
trois voix contre deux — three votes to two (score)
un sirop contre la toux — a cough syrup (a remedy against)

Contre never contracts. Contre le, contre la and contre les all stay written out in full.

Contre Quick Reference

The main jobs of contre

Use	English	Example
Physical contact	against, up against	collé contre la vitre — pressed against the glass
Opposition	against	je suis contre — I'm against it
Protection	against, for	un vaccin contre la grippe — a flu vaccine
Exchange	for, in exchange for	échanger contre — to swap for
Score or ratio	to	deux buts contre un — two goals to one
Proximity	next to, right by	tout contre la fenêtre — right by the window
As a noun	the against side	le pour et le contre — the pros and cons

Common Contre Examples in French

Contre across its four main senses:

Touching and Leaning

Elle s'est appuyée contre le mur.: She leaned against the wall.
Le vélo est posé contre la barrière.: The bike is propped against the fence.
La pluie bat contre les carreaux.: The rain is beating against the windowpanes.
Serre-la contre toi.: Hold her close to you.

For contact without pressure, French prefers sur or à côté de. Contre implies weight or force applied.

Opposing

Je suis contre cette décision.: I'm against this decision.
Ils ont voté contre la réforme.: They voted against the reform.
Elle s'est battue contre les préjugés.: She fought against prejudice.
C'est contre la loi.: It's against the law.

Être contre can stand alone with no complement: moi, je suis contre. The thing opposed is understood.

Protecting and Remedying

un médicament contre la migraine: a migraine medicine
une assurance contre le vol: theft insurance
une crème contre les moustiques: mosquito repellent
Que faire contre le bruit ?: What can be done about the noise?

English often uses for here, as in medicine for a headache, where French insists on contre. The logic is that the remedy fights the problem.

Exchanging and Comparing

J'ai échangé mon billet contre un autre.: I swapped my ticket for another one.
L'équipe joue contre Lyon samedi.: The team is playing Lyon on Saturday.
Le match s'est terminé deux à un.: The match ended two-one.
L'euro monte contre le dollar.: The euro is rising against the dollar.

In a sports fixture French uses contre where English often uses versus or nothing at all: France contre Italie.

How Contre Behaves

Four patterns, including one that turns the preposition into a noun and one that turns it into a prefix.

Contact Implies Pressure

Contre is not simply next to. It carries the sense of one surface pushing on another, which is why it goes with s'appuyer, se serrer, coller and battre rather than with the neutral être.

Le chat se frotte contre ma jambe.

The cat is rubbing against my leg.

Weight or force → contre.

Tout Contre Means Right Up Against

Adding tout intensifies the closeness rather than the opposition. It is a common way to say immediately next to, with no hostility implied at all.

La boulangerie est tout contre la mairie.

The bakery is right next to the town hall.

tout contre = right up against.

It Can Stand Alone as a Noun

With an article, contre becomes a noun meaning the case against. Le pour et le contre is the standard phrase for both sides of an argument.

Nous avons pesé le pour et le contre.

We weighed up the pros and cons.

le contre = the opposing side.

It Forms Compounds With a Hyphen

As a prefix, contre- builds a large family of nouns: une contre-attaque, un contretemps, un contre-argument, à contre-courant. The meaning is always counter- or against.

Ils ont lancé une contre-offensive immédiate.

They launched an immediate counter-offensive.

contre- = counter-.

Par Contre Is a Connector, Not a Preposition

Par contre means on the other hand and joins two clauses. Nothing follows it directly as an object; it simply marks a contrast with what came before.

Le film est long ; par contre, il est passionnant.

The film is long; on the other hand, it's gripping.

par contre + clause.

Common Mistakes with Contre

Incorrect: un médicament pour la toux — cough medicine

Correct: un médicament contre la toux — cough medicine

When the noun names a problem, French uses contre because the remedy fights it. Pour would suggest the medicine is meant to encourage the cough.

Incorrect: Elle s'est appuyée sur le mur. — She leaned against the wall.

Correct: Elle s'est appuyée contre le mur. — She leaned against the wall.

Sur means on top of a horizontal surface. Leaning implies pressing sideways into something vertical, which is contre.

Incorrect: Par contre le prix, je ne suis pas d'accord. — On the other hand, I don't agree about the price.

Correct: Par contre, je ne suis pas d'accord sur le prix. — On the other hand, I don't agree about the price.

Par contre is a connector between clauses and takes no object. Treating it as a preposition produces a sentence with nowhere for the noun to attach.

Incorrect: Ils jouent avec Lyon dimanche. — They're playing Lyon on Sunday.

Correct: Ils jouent contre Lyon dimanche. — They're playing Lyon on Sunday.

Jouer avec means to play together, on the same side. An opposing team always takes contre, even though English often uses no preposition at all.

Expressions Built on Contre

Some of the most frequent connectors and idioms in spoken French are built on this preposition, and none of them can be worked out word by word.

Connecting ideas

Par contre and en revanche both mean on the other hand; the first is spoken, the second written.

C'est cher ; par contre, la qualité est là.: It's expensive; on the other hand, the quality is there.
Je ne peux pas venir samedi. Par contre, dimanche, oui.: I can't come on Saturday. Sunday, though, yes.
en revanche: on the other hand (more formal)

Purists once objected to par contre, but it is now universal in speech and perfectly acceptable in most writing.

Set phrases

A handful of idioms use contre with a meaning that has drifted well away from against.

contre toute attente: against all expectations
envers et contre tout: against all odds, come what may
Ci-contre, vous trouverez le plan.: Opposite, you'll find the map.
Il l'a fait contre son gré.: He did it against his will.

Ci-contre means on the facing page or alongside, and belongs to written and printed French.

Compounds with contre-

As a prefix, contre- creates ordinary vocabulary. Most compounds take a hyphen, but a few older ones have lost it.

une contre-attaque: a counter-attack
un contretemps: a hitch, an unexpected setback
à contre-courant: against the tide
un contresens: a misinterpretation

Contretemps and contresens are written as single words; contre-attaque and contre-offensive keep the hyphen.

Contre FAQs

What does contre mean in French?: Against, in three senses: physical contact under pressure (appuyé contre le mur), opposition (voter contre), and exchange (échanger contre). It also gives par contre, on the other hand, and le pour et le contre, the pros and cons.
Why is it un sirop contre la toux and not pour la toux?: Because the syrup fights the cough. Whenever the noun after the preposition is a problem, an illness or a risk, French uses contre: une assurance contre le vol, un vaccin contre la grippe.
What does par contre mean?: On the other hand, or however. It introduces a contrast with the previous statement and takes a whole clause, not a noun: il est timide ; par contre, il parle très bien en public. En revanche is its formal equivalent.
What's the difference between contre and sur for leaning?: Sur is resting on top of something, contre is pressing sideways into it. A book lies sur la table, a ladder leans contre le mur, and a person can s'appuyer contre a doorframe.
Does contre contract with le or les?: No. Only à and de contract with the definite article, so contre le mur, contre la porte and contre les règles all stay as they are.