Why does 'with' mean 'against' and not 'alongside' in phrases of opposition?

Question

In phrases like *fight with*, *argue with*, *combat with* etc, why does *with* mean the subject is opposing the object (grammatical object, technically a human opponent)?Phrases like *go with*, *study with*, etc do not have such a meaning (as the acts have no opposing sides by their nature) and they mean the act is performed along with the other person.How did *with* develop such a conflicting dual purpose?

Answer 1

Suppose the meaning of “with” is always the same: something like “together”. So in that case the verbs you cite would simply be describing the state of being (eg “being with”), or the action (eg. talking with, struggling with”) while being “together”.