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.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of fend

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

SYNONYMS FOR fend

5 manage, make out, get along.

OTHER WORDS FROM fend

un·fend·ed, adjective

Words nearby fend

fencer, fencerow, fencible, fencing, fencing wire, fend, fend for oneself, fendalton tractor, fender, fender bender, fender pile
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to fending

dodge, protect, secure, bulwark, screen, cover, parry, resist, guard, repel, oppose, safeguard, shield

Example sentences from the Web for fending

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