fended; fending; fends
1
: defend
2
: to keep or ward off : repel
—often used with off
fend off an invader
3
dialectal British
: to provide for : support
chiefly Scotland
: an effort or attempt especially for oneself
Examples of fend in a Sentence
Verb
learned to use humor to fend herself from criticism
Recent Examples on the Web
Calmatters, Mercury News, 5 May 2025
That often leaves relatives in limbo, fending for themselves with scant government information.
—Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times, 3 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for fend
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Verb
What the couple didn’t realize: Due to a recent policy change, that detail kicked the call up to a supervisor — and ultimately left Susanna and her family to fend for themselves.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 5 May 2025
That often leaves relatives in limbo, fending for themselves with scant government information.
—Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times, 3 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for fend
Cite this Entry
“Fend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fend. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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