fend

verb

ˈfend How to pronounce fend (audio)
Definition of fendnext
as in to protect
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

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 fend The Israel model, by contrast, would mean a heavily armed and insecure Ukraine that would have to fend for itself and thus be prone to anticipatory self-defense and unilateral kinetic action in the form of sabotage, covert action, and assassination. — Thomas Wright, Foreign Affairs, 24 Feb. 2025 In the absence of any sign so far of serious pushback from within the administration, that will leave European countries, and Ukraine, to fend for themselves. — Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Feb. 2025 Even if Trump and Putin move toward a more cooperative relationship with Xi, that could leave European states to fend for themselves. — Monica Duffy Toft, Foreign Affairs, 13 Mar. 2025 Relationships between states shift with political winds and so, amid catastrophe, each state is left to fend for itself. — Kelly McKinney, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fend
  1. protect
  2. defend
  3. safeguard
  4. shield
  5. guard
Verb
  • Historically, child labor laws have been implemented to protect young workers from unsafe conditions and excessive hours, ensuring their education and well-being are not compromised.
    — Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
  • The Reverso watch was made especially for polo players who could flip the case to protect the dial from the swinging wooden mallets, and fast-flying balls.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 1 Apr. 2025
Definition of protect
Verb
  • The judge defended his decision, citing the fact that Sullivan has no permanent residence, has been admitted to a hospital since her arrest for mental health reasons, has no prior criminal record and has not failed to appear in court as reasons why house arrest is not necessary.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Additionally, on Thursday, March 27, Burgess defended her and Green’s co-parenting relationship with Fox.
    — Charna Flam, People.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of defend
Verb
  • The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.
    — Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2025
  • With cyber threats growing in complexity and business disruptions becoming more frequent, organizations need a way to safeguard their most valuable asset — data.
    — Rhett Power, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Definition of safeguard
Verb
  • Countries like Ukraine wanted to be in NATO not to antagonize Russia, but to shield themselves from it.
    — Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Thune refused to shield Tillis from Trump, forcing him to tell the President personally.
    — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
Definition of shield
Verb
  • Absolutely crucial, and it's parked geographically and guards the approaches to the North Atlantic.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Mar. 2025
  • From there, there was the 116-113 March 19 home loss, when Pistons guard Cade Cunningham banked in the winning 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds to play to close out the scoring.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2025
Definition of guard

Phrases Containing fend

Browse Nearby Words

fencing (in)
fend
fended
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fend. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on fend

Nglish: Translation of fend for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

'When Pigs Fly' and Other Barnyard Idioms

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things
See More

Popular

See More

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

'When Pigs Fly' and Other Barnyard Idioms
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
kestrel
Name That Bird Quiz Are you as wise as an owl or just another birdbrain?
See All