fend

[fend]

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.

Origin of fend

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

Related formsun·fend·ed, adjective

Synonyms for fend

5. manage, make out, get along.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for fending

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

Examples from the Web for fending

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
The Kansas Governor should be cruising to re-election and fending off 2016 rumors.
Sam Brownback’s Kansas Catastrophe
Patricia Murphy
July 20, 2014
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

Historical Examples of fending

He didn't feel like fending off women at this hour of the morning.
Mezzerow Loves Company
Floyd L. Wallace
I endeavoured to avoid the encounter, and ran backward, fending him off with my knife.
The Hunters' Feast
Mayne Reid
Up, up, he rose, fending off from the wall with feet and hands.
Connie Morgan in Alaska
James B. Hendryx
Richard and Edward devoted themselves to fending and swimming.
The Life of Sir Richard Burton
Thomas Wright
With it he dared to go anywhere, knowing that it would furnish him food and fending.
The Way to the West
Emerson Hough

British Dictionary definitions for fending

fend

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.