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

Pour a cup of white vinegar down your AC’s condensate drain twice a year to fend off algae and avoid clogging. — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 6 Aug. 2026

With 53 Republicans in the Senate, Democrats need to flip four seats, while fending off GOP inroads in Michigan and elsewhere to take the majority. — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026

Gluesenkamp Perez, a centrist who was first elected narrowly in 2022 and has made a name for herself by sometimes breaking with her party, successfully fended off primary challengers on Tuesday to advance to the November ballot. — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026

And that, in turn, is shaping the response of more mainstream governments, which for the last decade have been fending off those challenges and trying to appeal to voters tempted by populist alternatives. — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for fend off

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