fend off

verb

fended off; fending off; fends off

: to defend oneself against (someone or something)

They succeeded in fending off the attack/attackers.

They have had to fend off allegations of voter fraud.

Examples of fend off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Combined, the carrier strike groups would include nearly 20,000 troops, up to 150 fighter jets and numerous destroyers capable of launching and fending off missile attacks. — Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026

Cotham, the Republican incumbent in the southeastern Mecklenburg district, narrowly fended off a Democratic challenger in 2024. — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 1 Oct. 2026

At the end of all that immersiveness, exiting out onto the physical street to join the crowds of shuffling tourists and fend off sullen Elmos makes Times Square feel like the soul of authenticity. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 1 Oct. 2026

Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed while trying to fend off the attacker, leaving him badly wounded. — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for fend off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff