fend

Meaning

Verb

1. To take care of oneself; to take responsibility for one's own well-being.
2. To defend, to take care of (typically construed with for); to block or push away (typically construed with off).

Noun

Self-support; taking care of one's own well-being.

Noun

An enemy; fiend; the Devil.

Synonyms

ward off

parry

stave off

get through

resist

turn away

drive back

fend off

avert

repel

stand

defend oneself

deflect

dismiss

dissociate

fight off

forfend

get along

get over

grapple

keep

make it

manage

oust

outride

overcome

pass up

preclude

prevent

push back

rebuff

refuse

reject

remove

repress

repudiate

repulse

retreat

scorn

shield

🛡️

spurn

surmount

take off

ride out

turn down

freeze off

acquit

forefend

alienate

bear up

beat back

block

carry off

come

come through

cope

decline

defend

Pronounced as (IPA)

/fɛnd/

Etymology

From Middle English fenden (“defend, fight, prevent”), shortening of defenden (“defend”), from Old French deffendre (Modern French défendre), from Latin dēfendō (“to ward off”), from dē- + *fendō (“hit, thrust”), from Proto-Italic *fendō, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- (“strike, kill”).