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
Recent waves of emigration of younger Cubans have left many older adults alone to fend for themselves under the direst conditions.
—
Sarah Moreno
updated April 29, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
Sinner took their first meeting, overwhelming a streaky Jódar in the first set and fending him off for most of the second in a 6-2, 7-6(0) win Wednesday.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Farms were razed, and cats and dogs were left to fend for themselves as families were repeatedly displaced from their homes by the Israeli airstrikes.
—Irus Braverman, The Conversation, 27 Apr. 2026
When the shots rang out last night at the Washington Hilton, multiple teams flooded into the rooms to find their protectees and get them out, climbing over chairs—in some cases with guns drawn or hand on holster—and sometimes leaving spouses, colleagues, and others to fend for themselves.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fend
Sarah Moreno
updated April 29, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
Sinner took their first meeting, overwhelming a streaky Jódar in the first set and fending him off for most of the second in a 6-2, 7-6(0) win Wednesday.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Farms were razed, and cats and dogs were left to fend for themselves as families were repeatedly displaced from their homes by the Israeli airstrikes.
—Irus Braverman, The Conversation, 27 Apr. 2026
When the shots rang out last night at the Washington Hilton, multiple teams flooded into the rooms to find their protectees and get them out, climbing over chairs—in some cases with guns drawn or hand on holster—and sometimes leaving spouses, colleagues, and others to fend for themselves.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fend
Verb
-
Even without federal limits on chemicals like PFAS, states have the authority to protect public health and the environment.—
DYLAN JACKSON,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
-
Doing so, officials say, helps protect not only those rolling up their sleeves but those who cannot get vaccinated, such as the very youngest children.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
Verb
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By the second quarter, Philadelphia was done defending him.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2026
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Giuliani’s time in office was marked by a crackdown on crime, but race relations eroded as Giuliani defended the police against accusations of bias and brutality.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Rules to safeguard against insider trading and to impose restrictions on age would be welcome as well.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
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By validating data authenticity, DNSSEC safeguards against attacks such as DNS spoofing and guarantees that users connect to the correct IP address.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Hough draped a sheer black cover-up over her shoulders and shielded her eyes with a pair of oversized brown sunglasses.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
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Using magnetic fields, this system enables power transfer to electric ships without physical metal contact, shielding vital components from nature’s corrosive elements.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Ausar Thompson, who finished third in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting, guarded Mitchell on Tuesday.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
-
These sites also largely guard your data, sharing it only with their clients rather than with a wide group of affiliated companies.—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fend. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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