fend

UK: /ˈfɛnd/ US: /fɛnd/ ,(fend)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

fend /fɛnd/   v. 

1. to ward off;
   keep or push away:
   [~ + off + object] He used a stick to fend off his attackers.
2. to provide;
   manage;
   support:
   [~ + for + oneself] He had to fend for himself after his father died.

See -fend-.
-fend-, root. 

1. -fend- comes from Latin, where it has the meaning "strike.'' This meaning is found in such words as: defend, defense, defensive, fend, indefensible, inoffensive, offend, offense, offensive.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

fend  (fend), v.t. 

1. to ward off (often fol. by off):
   to fend off blows.
2. to defend.

v.i. 

3. to resist or make defense:
   to fend against poverty.
4. to parry;
   fence.
5. to shift;
   provide:
   to fend for oneself.

• Middle English fenden, aphetic variant of defenden to defend 1250–1300

Synonyms

• 5. manage, make out, get along.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

fend / fɛnd/ verb

1. (intransitive) followed by for: to give support (to someone, esp oneself); provide (for)
2. (transitive) usually followed by off: to ward off or turn aside (blows, questions, attackers, etc)

noun

1. a shift or effort

Etymology: 13th Century fenden, shortened from defenden to defend