fend
[fend]
- to ward off (often followed by off): to fend off blows.
- to defend.
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- to resist or make defense: to fend against poverty.
- to parry; fence.
- to shift; provide: to fend for oneself.
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Origin of fend
Synonyms
5. manage, make out, get along.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
dodge, protect, secure, bulwark, screen, cover, parry, resist, guard, repel, oppose, safeguard, shieldExamples from the Web for fending
Contemporary Examples
Joseph LaRocca says some companies are upping the ante in terms of fending off return fraudsters.
They ended up crawling for much of the journey, scaling electric fences and fending off wild animals in freezing conditions.
How ‘Titanic ’Helped This Brave Young Woman Escape North Korea’s Totalitarian StateLizzie Crocker
October 31, 2014
They also emboldened the Kurdish defenders, who are lightly armed and fending off heavy armor.
The Kansas Governor should be cruising to re-election and fending off 2016 rumors.
At the same time, Tea Partyers are fending off Republican attempts to “kneecap” the movement as a whole, says Carender.
Historical Examples
He didn't feel like fending off women at this hour of the morning.
Mezzerow Loves CompanyFloyd L. Wallace
I endeavoured to avoid the encounter, and ran backward, fending him off with my knife.
The Hunters' FeastMayne Reid
Up, up, he rose, fending off from the wall with feet and hands.
Connie Morgan in AlaskaJames B. Hendryx
Richard and Edward devoted themselves to fending and swimming.
The Life of Sir Richard BurtonThomas Wright
With it he dared to go anywhere, knowing that it would furnish him food and fending.
The Way to the WestEmerson Hough
fend
- (intr foll by for) to give support (to someone, esp oneself); provide (for)
- (tr usually foll by off) to ward off or turn aside (blows, questions, attackers, etc)
- (tr) archaic to defend or resist
- (intr) Scot and Northern English dialect to struggle; strive
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- Scot and Northern English dialect a shift or effort
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Word Origin
C13 fenden, shortened from defenden to defend
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for fending
fend
v.
late 13c., shortening of defend. To fend for oneself (1620s) is to see to one's own defense. Related: Fended; fending.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper