FENDED Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

fended

verb

past tense of fend

as in defended

to drive danger or attack away from learned to use humor to fend herself from criticism

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of fended While his mom was in prison, Young and his older brother, Robert, mostly fended for themselves, often in a home that lacked electricity and running water. — Julia M. Klein, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026 Most of the refugees from the region fended for themselves in shanty towns around Baku, despised by the urbanites even as their plight was weaponized. — Literary Hub, 30 July 2026 Alternatively, the young might have fended for themselves, similar to lizards. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 9 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fended

Verb

The Justice Department has defended its track record in court and accused judges of overstepping their authority.

— NPR Staff, NPR, 8 Aug. 2026
In the face of the data center backlash, Pritzker defended his rollback of tax incentives at the Aspen Ideas climate conference in Chicago on July 21, according to a New York Times report.

— John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of defended

Verb

Mandarin Oriental’s arrival in 2006 protected and restored the interiors, while consulting with Conservation Authority archaeologists to preserve any historic findings.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
Presidio is protected by a series of berms and levees built in the 1970s and 1980s along the Rio Grande and tributaries to combat flooding.

— Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of protected

Verb

In a country running above-target inflation, importing all its energy and watching its government spend tens of billions propping up the currency, most households owned none of the one thing that would have shielded them.

— Frank Holmes, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Risks of inflation and long-term vulnerability For now, rising oil and gas production and refinery output in the United States has shielded Americans from significant petroleum shortages.

— Amy Myers Jaffe, The Conversation, 4 Aug. 2026