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
Eventually, Norris finished third and Piastri finished fourth while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen fended off their challenge to take second place.
—
Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
For two years, the 33-year-old sewing operator didn’t have enough money to fill her family’s bellies and fend off the debt collectors at the same time.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
The government has had to deploy millions of dollars and reintroduce some exchange controls to fend off further depreciation on the peso in the past week.
—Nicolle Yapur, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
Forest fended off Tottenham’s interest in Gibbs-White last summer.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fend off
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Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
For two years, the 33-year-old sewing operator didn’t have enough money to fill her family’s bellies and fend off the debt collectors at the same time.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
The government has had to deploy millions of dollars and reintroduce some exchange controls to fend off further depreciation on the peso in the past week.
—Nicolle Yapur, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
Forest fended off Tottenham’s interest in Gibbs-White last summer.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fend off
Cite this Entry
“Fend off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fend%20off. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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