fend

[ fend ]

/ fɛnd /

verb (used with object)

to ward off (often followed by off): to fend off blows.

to defend.

verb (used without object)

to resist or make defense: to fend against poverty.

to parry; fence.

to shift; provide: to fend for oneself.

Nearby words

Origin of fend

1250–1300; Middle English fenden, aphetic variant of defenden to defend

SYNONYMS FOR fend

5 manage, make out, get along.

Related formsun·fend·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fending

Joseph LaRocca says some companies are upping the ante in terms of fending off return fraudsters.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks|M.L. Nestel|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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 State|Lizzie Crocker|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They also emboldened the Kurdish defenders, who are lightly armed and fending off heavy armor.
America’s WTF Air War in Syria|Jamie Dettmer|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Kansas Governor should be cruising to re-election and fending off 2016 rumors.
Sam Brownback’s Kansas Catastrophe|Patricia Murphy|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

At the same time, Tea Partyers are fending off Republican attempts to “kneecap” the movement as a whole, says Carender.
With Incumbents To Protect, The Tea Party Is Now Playing Defense|Michelle Cottle|March 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"Don't be absurd, man," replied Smith, fending off the dog as well as he could.
Round the World in Seven Days|Herbert Strang
Age dropped from her; she became for a moment a young mother anticipating joyously all that "fending" implied.
The Soul of Susan Yellam|Horace Annesley Vachell
A Minister with a piece of typewritten paper seemed to be fending off volleys of insults.
A Diversity of Creatures|Rudyard Kipling
The grind of fending for herself in a city had taught her the necessity of self-control.
North of Fifty-Three|Bertrand W. Sinclair
All were hardy, active youngsters who took to fending for themselves as naturally as a day-old chick takes to scratching.
Days of the Discoverers|L. Lamprey

British Dictionary definitions for fending

fend

/ (fɛnd) /

verb

(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

noun

Scot and Northern English dialect a shift or effort

Word Origin for fend

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

late 13c., shortening of defend. To fend for oneself (1620s) is to see to one's own defense. Related: Fended; fending.

fend

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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Nearby words

Origin of fend

Examples from the Web for fending

British Dictionary definitions for fending

fend

verb

noun

Word Origin for fend

Word Origin and History for fending

fend