fend off

phrasal 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

Alcaraz fended off Yannick Hanfmann 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2 in an afternoon encounter on the center court, and then reflected on his own performance and on his golf outing with Roger Federer. —Arkansas Online, 22 Jan. 2026

Despite being a new face for voters, British actress Wunmi Mosaku fended off previous Oscar nominee (and NFL WAG) Hailee Steinfeld; another unknown, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, has ridden one perfect Oscar clip to open up a lead over Elle Fanning in the Sentimental Value Derby. —Nate Jones, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2026

The companies hope that the new all cash-offer will help fend off Paramount’s hostile takeover bid for all of WBD. —Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 20 Jan. 2026

Victor Wembanyama had 39 points and nine rebounds, corralling a critical offensive rebound in the final seconds, enabling the San Antonio Spurs to fend off Anthony Edwards’ season-high 55 points and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-123 on Saturday night. —Raul Dominguez, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for fend off

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