fend off

English

Etymology

fend + off

Verb

fend off (third-person singular simple present fends off, present participle fending off, simple past and past participle fended off)

  1. To defend against; to repel with force or effort
    Synonyms: turn away, drive away, ward off
    They tried citronella to fend off the mosquitos, to no avail.
    • 2024 April 27, Alastair Telfer, “England beat France to seal Grand Slam hat-trick”, in BBC Sport:
      France spent large portions of the opening half in England territory and despite scoring the pick of the first-half tries - when Menager fended off Jess Breach to finish off a superb backs move - struggled to convert their chances.
  2. (nautical) To prevent (a vessel) from running against anything with too much violence.

Translations

See also

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