fended

past tense of fend

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 Video captured the bear charging toward Koerwitz, who fended it off with bear spray. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026 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
  • Aaron Rowe has defended Ed Sheeran amid the continuing fallout over Macklemore’s removal from the singer’s Loop Tour, arguing that public criticism is being directed at the wrong person.
    Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Qaradawi defended Palestinian suicide bombings of Israeli civilians as a legitimate form of resistance.
    Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Both of those pitches have better protected his four-seam fastball, a pitch Nola has commanded much better.
    Matt Gelb, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Spacecraft are typically protected from debris impacts by some form of a Whipple shield, which has a thin outer bumper with a space between the bumper and the wall of the spacecraft.
    Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • About 30% of its gas revenue is sourced from on-site facilities that are shielded from macro cyclicality and inflation by 15- to 20-year contracts that enforce baseline take-or-pay guarantees and benefit from energy cost pass-throughs.
    Harvey Stober, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The San Diego Association of Governments has shielded two North County cities from the strictest parts of a new law allowing for high-rise housing near transit stops.
    Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • But just over six months after the death of her son, she is understandably guarded.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
  • As a rock star, Chrissie Hynde has always been a bit of a paradox — gnarly but cerebral, ferocious yet guarded.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Fended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fended. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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