forfend

[ fawr-fend ]

/ fɔrˈfɛnd /

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See synonyms for forfend on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to defend, secure, or protect.

to fend off, avert, or prevent.

Archaic. forbid.

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“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

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Also forefend

[fawr-fend, fohr-] /fɔrˈfɛnd, foʊr-/ .

Origin of forfend

First recorded in 1350–1400, forfend is from the Middle English word forfenden.See for-, fend

Words nearby forfend

Forfar, for fear of, forfeit, forfeited, forfeiture, forfend, forfex, forficate, forfochen, for free, for fun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use forfend in a sentence

Heaven forfend that change in any shape, whether of embellishment or of decay, should fall upon that cottage!
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. VII, December 1850, Vol. II|Various
God forfend that she should come home to-night and find you here!
The Black Douglas|S. R. Crockett
Unless they actually set fire to the steeple, which Heaven forfend, we can laugh at them.
The Young Cavalier|Percy F. Westerman
Is it not rather the blind brute instinct of self-protection, forfend what may?
Canada: the Empire of the North|Agnes C. Laut

Heaven forfend me from Lamarck nonsense of a "tendency to progression," "adaptations from the slow willing of animals," etc.!
The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, Volume I (of II)|Charles Darwin

British Dictionary definitions for forfend

forfend

forefend

/ (fɔːˈfɛnd) /

verb (tr)

US to protect or secure

obsolete to prohibit or prevent

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

forfend

Origin of forfend

Words nearby forfend

Words related to forfend

How to use forfend in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for forfend

forefend