as in to protect
to drive danger or attack away from
learned to use humor to fend herself from criticism
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fend
For now, Geno Auriemma isn’t ready to leave this island to fend for itself.
—
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
Eventually, Brown retreated to the locker room, leaving the Celtics to fend for themselves against an ignited Wembanyama.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Article continues below Unfortunately, a passing asteroid deposits a killer alien robot in their midst, and the soldiers must fend for themselves as this marauding mech stalks them with guns and lasers blazing.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Oklahoma City was fending without centers Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, but Williams — a third-string big good enough to start on at least a handful of teams — killed Denver with his spacing.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fend
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
Eventually, Brown retreated to the locker room, leaving the Celtics to fend for themselves against an ignited Wembanyama.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Article continues below Unfortunately, a passing asteroid deposits a killer alien robot in their midst, and the soldiers must fend for themselves as this marauding mech stalks them with guns and lasers blazing.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Oklahoma City was fending without centers Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, but Williams — a third-string big good enough to start on at least a handful of teams — killed Denver with his spacing.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fend
Verb
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To protect yourself, property owners can sign up for notifications about any new documents filed for their property in the city's Automated City Register Information System (ACRIS).—
Tim McNicholas,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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Go to the Strait and just take it, protect it.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Some people defended Altman’s business acumen and dismissed his rivals, especially Sutskever and Amodei, as failed aspirants to his throne.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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But the program was able to ascend to another level when 6-foot-7 transfer Lauren Betts arrived from Stanford as a genuine superstar who changed the way the Bruins were able to play and the way other teams had to defend them.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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From confirmation to downfall During her confirmation hearings, Bondi promised to safeguard the Justice Department’s independence and bolster its transparency.—
Austin Sarat,
The Conversation,
3 Apr. 2026
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Museums safeguard artworks and offer greater stability over longer timelines, while also responding to the fragility of the present.—
Raphael Fonseca,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Heat-loving crops like tomatoes get shielded from blight.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
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One of the biggest advantages of greenhouse growing is shielding your plants from pests and disease.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In the fullness of time, Nancy had a Nest camera installed—one of those all-seeing eyes meant to guard the property and calm anxious nerves and provide real safety from intrusion.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
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The Guard has separately launched a recruitment drive targeting youths, seeking children as young as 12 to guard security checkpoints, carry out patrols, tend to the wounded, and perform other supporting tasks.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fend. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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