Plead with the tyrant for the captive; plead against the oppression or the oppressor; plead to the indictment; at the bar; before the court; in open court.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

upon I happened upon Bernard at a restaurant yesterday.
towards There's a trend these days towards small families.
despite Despite her warning, he made little of the matter.
versus The exchange rate of the dollar versus the euro has declined.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
against		steady
upon		falling
towards		rising
despite		rising
versus		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: upon²
5 letters: ageym
6 letters: across², versus², contra²
7 letters: towards², despite², athwart²
8 letters: opposite³

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (upon² = 2 syllables).