as in to protect
to drive danger or attack away from
learned to use humor to fend herself from criticism
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Recent Examples of fend
And here, rather than being left to fend alone, these solo athletes have been able to rely on their fellow competitors.
—
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
At the same time, resilience isn’t about abandoning them to fend for themselves, either—instead parents should strive to strike a balance between the two extremes.
—Lauryn Higgins, Parents, 17 Feb. 2026
In a statement, Animal Services said street cats are able to fend for themselves.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
Reports later revealed that the Turpin parents restricted the food their children could eat, left several of them in a home alone to fend for themselves, and imprisoned, beat, and strangled their kids.
—Stephanie Kaloi, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fend
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
At the same time, resilience isn’t about abandoning them to fend for themselves, either—instead parents should strive to strike a balance between the two extremes.
—Lauryn Higgins, Parents, 17 Feb. 2026
In a statement, Animal Services said street cats are able to fend for themselves.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
Reports later revealed that the Turpin parents restricted the food their children could eat, left several of them in a home alone to fend for themselves, and imprisoned, beat, and strangled their kids.
—Stephanie Kaloi, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fend
Verb
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Designed to protect infrastructure from earthquakes, wind, and industrial vibrations, the invention offers a low-cost, reliable alternative to other damping systems.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2026
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The best way to protect yourself during an earthquake is to drop, cover and hold on, officials say.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Seattle linebacker Ernest Jones IV stepped up to the microphone and with unvarnished vigor defended his quarterback.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Coyotes vocalize to defend their territories and for inter-pack communication.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Questions in India over the sinking India has long viewed the Indian Ocean as central to its security, with its navy regularly conducting patrols and multinational exercises to safeguard key sea lanes used for global trade and energy shipments.—
Sheikh Saaliq,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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Authorities continue to take all necessary measures to safeguard the public.—
Jessica Mekles,
FOXNews.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But years of stockpiling could shield China from immediate supply shocks.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
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Antitrust immunity doesn’t shield conduct from other areas of law, including employment law, education law, intellectual property law and immigration law.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In addition to regular forces, thousands of temporary police officers have been deployed, and army troops — generally confined to barracks — are patrolling streets and guarding polling stations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
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But Carolyn was guarded about the revival of John, treading carefully.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fend. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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