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

Dubai is doubling down on efforts to fend off regional rivals trying to dethrone it as the Gulf’s top financial hub. —Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 28 Jan. 2026

Nik Clark, head of the gun lobbying group Wisconsin Carry, said gun rights activists typically are fending off gun control efforts by Democrats. —John Diedrich, jsonline.com, 28 Jan. 2026

Luka Dončić handled the closing shift instead, burying the Bulls with a handful of late 3s to fend off any last attempt at a comeback. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026

Morales grabbed a patio chair to fend off his attackers before running away with his assailants in tow, prosecutors said. —City News Service, Oc Register, 25 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for fend off

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