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View synonyms for fence

fence

[ fens ]

noun

  1. a barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually made of vertical posts connected with horizontal sections of sturdy material or materials, as wood, metal, vinyl, or wire, used to prevent entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary:

    Our garden fence is not high enough to keep the deer out.

  2. Informal. a person who receives and disposes of stolen goods.
  3. the place of business of such a person.
  4. the act, practice, art, or sport of fencing.
  5. skill in argument, repartee, etc.
  6. Machinery. a guard or guide, as for regulating the movements of a tool or work.
  7. Carpentry. a slotted guide used especially with a framing square to lay out cuts on rafters and staircase strings.
  8. Archaic. a means of defense; a bulwark.


verb (used with object)

, fenced, fenc·ing.
  1. to enclose by some barrier, establishing exclusive right to possession:

    to fence a farm.

  2. to separate by or as by a fence or fences (often followed by in, off, out, etc.):

    to fence off a corner of one's yard; to fence out unwholesome influences.

  3. to defend; protect; guard:

    The president was fenced by bodyguards wherever he went.

  4. to ward off; keep out.
  5. Informal. to sell (stolen goods) to a fence.
  6. Nautical. to reinforce (an opening in a sail or the like) by sewing on a grommet or other device.

verb (used without object)

, fenced, fenc·ing.
  1. to practice the art or sport of fencing.
  2. to parry arguments; strive to avoid giving direct answers; hedge:

    The mayor fenced when asked if he would run again.

  3. (of a horse) to leap over a fence.
  4. Obsolete. to raise a defense.

fence

/ fɛns /

noun

  1. a structure that serves to enclose an area such as a garden or field, usually made of posts of timber, concrete, or metal connected by wire, netting, rails, or boards
  2. slang.
    a dealer in stolen property
  3. an obstacle for a horse to jump in steeplechasing or showjumping
  4. machinery a guard or guide, esp in a circular saw or plane
  5. a projection usually fitted to the top surface of a sweptback aircraft wing to prevent movement of the airflow towards the wing tips
  6. mend one's fences
    mend one's fences
    1. to restore a position or reputation that has been damaged, esp in politics
    2. to re-establish friendly relations (with someone)
  7. on the fence
    on the fence unable or unwilling to commit oneself
  8. over the fence informal.
    over the fence unreasonable, unfair, or unjust
  9. sit on the fence
    sit on the fence to be unable or unwilling to commit oneself


verb

  1. tr to construct a fence on or around (a piece of land, etc)
  2. tr; foll by in or off to close (in) or separate (off) with or as if with a fence

    he fenced in the livestock

  3. intr to fight using swords or foils
  4. intr to evade a question or argument, esp by quibbling over minor points
  5. intr to engage in skilful or witty debate, repartee, etc
  6. slang.
    intr to receive stolen property
  7. archaic.
    tr to ward off or keep out

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Derived Forms

  • ˈfenceless, adjective
  • ˈfenceˌlike, adjective

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Other Words From

  • fence·like adjective
  • out·fence verb (used with object) outfenced outfencing
  • re·fence verb (used with object) refenced refencing
  • un·fence verb (used with object) unfenced unfencing
  • well-fenced adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of fence1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English fens, shortening of defens “(means of) fortification, resistance, defense”; defense

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Word History and Origins

Origin of fence1

C14 fens , shortened from defens defence

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. mend one's fences, to strengthen or reestablish one's position by conciliation or negotiation:

    One could tell by his superficially deferential manner that he was trying to mend his fences.

  2. on the fence, uncommitted; neutral; undecided:

    The party leaders are still on the fence.

More idioms and phrases containing fence

  • mend one's fences
  • on the fence
  • straddle the fence

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Example Sentences

That means each team faces a lot more uncertainty about whether to buy or sell, especially when it comes to the large middle group of teams on the fence about which strategy is best.

We chained ourselves to the fences of Soviet consulates and embassies.

From Ozy

About 18 months later, the bull tossed Fisher into the air like an inconvenience and rammed him into the fence.

NBC 7 reports that the city recently put up a fence to stop the gatherings after getting reports that not all the participants were wearing masks or social distancing.

A gutted ballfield surrounded by a 10-foot chain-link fence is the only space resembling a park in the Sherman Heights neighborhood.

Strandf could photograph anything from a blind woman to a picket fence and make the image indelible.

I have the unique advantage of seeing this from both sides of the fence.

At this point, he became Tom Sawyer, letting his musical compatriots—and the folk tradition—help paint his musical fence.

But what about the screams, the salty puddles, and big empty packages of frozen fish lying on the ground outside the fence?

On Thursday, Leyland fled her home after a photographer snapped her photo from behind her garden fence.

I saw every crook in the fence, every rut in the road, every bush and tree long before we came to it.

Another fence: who would furnish that two hundred and fifty dollars and secure him for the remainder?

They stopped, leaning over a jagged fence made of sea-drift, to ask for water.

I raised my pipe above my head and hurled it against the fence, where it crashed into a score of pieces.

In 1837 the churchyard had some pleasant walks along the sides, bounded by a low wooden fence, and skirted with trees.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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