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
The push comes at a pivotal moment for OpenAI, which is eyeing a trillion-dollar IPO while trying to fend off fierce competition from rival AI lab Anthropic.
—
Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 22 June 2026
This will involve Corlys Velaryon and his fleet trying to fend off an attack by Tyland Lannister and the Triarchy.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
The hard part will be fending off the attention of gobsmacked friends at the party.
—Kathryn Streeter, Southern Living, 17 June 2026
French frigates used machine guns, cannons and sophisticated air-defense missiles to fend off Houthi strikes.
—ABC News, 16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for fend off
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Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 22 June 2026
This will involve Corlys Velaryon and his fleet trying to fend off an attack by Tyland Lannister and the Triarchy.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
The hard part will be fending off the attention of gobsmacked friends at the party.
—Kathryn Streeter, Southern Living, 17 June 2026
French frigates used machine guns, cannons and sophisticated air-defense missiles to fend off Houthi strikes.
—ABC News, 16 June 2026
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 25 Jun. 2026.
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