as in turning back
to drive back
the herd fended off attacking hyenas
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fending (off)
Verb
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Once your pair crunchy snap peas with peppery arugula, a sweet and zippy homemade dressing, and garlicky toasted breadcrumbs, there is no turning back.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
4 Mar. 2026 -
So, crude oil imported to California from the Gulf Coast states must first sail east to the Bahamas before turning back west to California.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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To fill the space, models are turning away from doomscrolling (there’s enough doom and gloom in the news right now) and toward novels.—
Arden Fanning Andrews,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2026
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The United Kingdom has started strictly enforcing its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), turning away travelers without the digital form.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Some plants also make good companions for carrots, either by repelling pests or creating the conditions that carrots like to grow in.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 Mar. 2026
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To protect your crops, consider growing insect-repelling plants.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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While there are dismemberments and other bits of gruesome violence to be found in the film, Badlands is largely aimed at endearing its audience rather than repulsing them.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Leon also faces a Level 6 felony battery count and a misdemeanor charge of resisting law enforcement for kicking a Portage Police officer at the Northwest Health-Portage facility and persistently refusing to follow orders from arresting officers, documents state.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
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Organizers held a series of events focused on resisting immigration enforcement actions and calling for the abolition of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to its website.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The dogs had driven the woman into the surf before a tourist came to her rescue, beating off the dingoes.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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To his credit, Onana remained at the heart of the battle and was evidently key to Villa staving off Bournemouth’s set-play threat.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Gibney illustrates that state of waiting, of staving off what at that time appears to be the inevitable, with the famous sequence from Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, in which Max von Sydow’s medieval knight plays chess with Death on a desolate beach.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Fending (off).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fending%20%28off%29. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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