as in protects
to drive danger or attack away from
learned to use humor to fend herself from criticism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fends
Verb
-
The case also wraps around all four side of the iPhone, with the same elevated lip that protects the screen.—
Ben Sin,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025 -
Making this distinction prevents overengineering and protects morale, budget, and timeline.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Jeffrey Breinholt, an architect of the material support statutes who spent three decades as a federal terrorism prosecutor, defends the laws as crucial to closing loopholes that were exploited by foreign militant groups and their domestic sympathizers.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonpartisan organization that defends First Amendment rights across the political spectrum, and survey company College Pulse rank the campus speech environment of 257 public and private universities each year.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The company also claimed that the media companies should have pursued the notice-and-takedown procedure of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which shields platforms from liability for user generated infringing content if it is promptly removed upon notice.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The decision is the latest development in a fierce legal battle over the fate of over 600,000 Venezuelans living in the United States under Temporary Protected Status, which shields them from deportation to their homeland in turmoil and grants them the ability to work.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
29 Aug. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Fends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fends. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share