argue, contend, debate, fence - have an argument about something

contest, repugn, contend - to make the subject of dispute, contention, or litigation; "They contested the outcome of the race"

fight, struggle - be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight; "the tribesmen fought each other"; "Siblings are always fighting"

recalcitrate - show strong objection or repugnance; manifest vigorous opposition or resistance; be obstinately disobedient; "The Democratic senators recalcitrated against every proposal from the Republican side"

fend, resist, stand - withstand the force of something; "The trees resisted her"; "stand the test of time"; "The mountain climbers had to fend against the ice and snow"

stand firm, withstand, hold out, resist - stand up or offer resistance to somebody or something

drive back, fight off, repulse, rebuff, repel - force or drive back; "repel the attacker"; "fight off the onslaught"; "rebuff the attack"

counterpoise, counterpose, counterweight - constitute a counterweight or counterbalance to

counterpoint, contrast - to show differences when compared; be different; "the students contrast considerably in their artistic abilities"

confront, face - oppose, as in hostility or a competition; "You must confront your opponent"; "Jackson faced Smith in the boxing ring"; "The two enemies finally confronted each other"

act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel"

act on, follow up on, pursue - carry further or advance; "Can you act on this matter soon?"

buck, go against - resist; "buck the trend"

backfire, backlash - have an unexpected and undesired effect; "Your comments may backfire and cause you a lot of trouble"

rebut, refute - overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof; "The speaker refuted his opponent's arguments"

negative, veto, blackball - vote against; refuse to endorse; refuse to assent; "The President vetoed the bill"

dissent, protest, resist - express opposition through action or words; "dissent to the laws of the country"