fend

1 of 2

verb

ˈfend 

fended; fending; fends

transitive verb

1

: defend

2

: to keep or ward off : repel

—often used with off

fend off an invader

3

dialectal British : to provide for : support

intransitive verb

1

dialectal British : to make an effort : struggle

2

a

: to try to get along without help : shift

had to fend for themselves

b

: to provide a livelihood

fend

2 of 2

noun

chiefly Scotland

: an effort or attempt especially for oneself

Synonyms

Verb

• bulwark
• cover
• defend
• fence
• forfend
• guard
• keep
• protect
• safeguard
• screen
• secure
• shield
• ward

Examples of fend in a Sentence

Verb

learned to use humor to fend herself from criticism

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

After some humiliating busywork, his patron dies and he’s left to fend for himself, acquiring his own land for farming and attempting to make a citizen of himself. —Kambole Campbell, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2024

The boys have to fend for themselves, taking on the bad guys and finding a way to drive the cattle to South Dakota. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024

Noun

Zach Edey finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds and Braden Smith made two free throws with 3.9 seconds left to help No. 3 Purdue fend off Maryland’s furious second-half charge for a 58-55 victory. —Michael Marot, Baltimore Sun, 22 Jan. 2023

At least in Colombia, work to breed more resistant varietals or to study how cacao plants in the wild fend off pathogens has been limited. —Lindzi Wessel, Discover Magazine, 27 Sep. 2018

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English fenden, short for defenden "to defend"

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1721, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fend

• fend for oneself
• fend off

Kids Definition

fend

verb

ˈfend

1

: to keep or ward off : repel sense 1

fend off an attack

2

: to try to get along without help

had to fend for themselves