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fend

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fend and prove

dated To argue and defend a point or opinion. I was forced to fend and prove my stance before the tribunal.

See also: and, fend, prove

fend away

To turn away or deny; to keep something at bay; to fight or ward off. The governor fended away questions about his role in the money laundering scandal. I fended away the blows of my attackers.

See also: away, fend

fend for oneself Go to shift for

oneself.

See also: fend, shift

fend someone or something off

to hold someone or something off; to fight someone or something off. We knew we could fend them off only a little while longer. They could not fend off the attackers.

See also: fend, off

shift for oneself

 and fend for oneself

to get along by oneself; to support oneself. I'm sorry, I can't pay your rent anymore. You'll just have to shift for yourself. When I became twenty years old, I left home and began to fend for myself.

See also: shift

fend for yourself

to take care of yourself The girl took everything she could carry and left the boy all alone to fend for himself.

See also: fend

fend off somebody

also fend somebody off

1. to stop someone from coming too near to you She was never very good at fending off the boys.

2. to stop someone from hurting you The young woman was able to fend off the robber.

Related vocabulary: ward off somebody/something

See also: fend, off

fend off something

also fend something off

to prevent something from happening A politician has to learn how to fend off unfriendly questions, especially from the press.

Related vocabulary: stave off something

See also: fend, off

shift for oneself

Also, fend for oneself. Provide for one's own needs, as in Don't worry about Anne; she's very good at shifting for herself, or The children had to fend for themselves after school. The first term, using shift in the now obsolete sense of "manage," was first recorded about 1513; the variant, using fend for in the sense of "look after," was first recorded in 1629.

See also: shift

fend against

v.

To protect from something: We wear heavy parkas to fend against the cold wind.

See also: fend

fend for

v.

To provide for, take care of, or defend someone without assistance: We watched the bear fending for her cubs as the hunters approached. I had to fend for myself when I arrived in Europe alone.

See also: fend

fend off

v.

1. To try to prevent something; avert something: To fend off cavities, brush your teeth regularly.

2. To turn something aside; repel something: The troops fended the enemy off. My neighbor fended off the reporters who blocked her driveway.

See also: fend, off