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fend

 - 3 dictionary results

fend

  [fend]
Use fend in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to ward off (often fol. by off): to fend off blows.
2. to defend.
–verb (used without object)
3. to resist or make defense: to fend against poverty.
4. to parry; fence.
5. to shift; provide: to fend for oneself.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME fenden, aph. var. of defenden to defend

Synonyms:
5. manage, make out, get along.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To fend
fend   (fěnd)   
v.   fend·ed, fend·ing, fends

v.   tr.

  1. To ward off. Often used with off: fend off an attack.

  2. Archaic To defend.

v.   intr.

  1. To make an effort to resist: fend against the cold.

  2. To attempt to manage without assistance: had to fend for ourselves until we were rescued.


[Middle English fenden, short for defenden, to defend; see defend.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

fend 
c.1300, shortening of defend. To fend for oneself (1629) is to see to one's own defense.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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