fend off

phrasal-verb
UK: /ˌfend ˈɒf/
US: /ˌfend ˈɔːf/

  1. To defend yourself or someone else from attack.

    1. I had to fend off a dog that was barking at me.
    2. The knight had to fend off multiple attackers at once to protect the princess.

  2. To push something or someone away; repel or resist something unwanted.

    1. She used a stick to fend off the stray cats.
    2. The company struggled to fend off the hostile takeover bid from its rival.

  3. To try to avoid something difficult or unpleasant.

    1. He tried to fend off sleep, but he was too tired.
    2. The politician had to fend off questions about his past financial dealings during the press conference.

Synonyms

repel ward off deflect resist fight off hold off avoid prevent
fend off transitive-verb

  1. To prevent someone or something from getting close to you.

    1. We must fend off the invaders.
    2. The soldiers tried to fend off the enemy's advance on the city walls.

  2. To avert, turn aside, or ward off something undesirable.

    1. He fended off the criticism with a smile.
    2. The new regulations are designed to fend off future financial crises in the banking sector.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "fend off" in English means: To defend yourself or someone else from attack., To push something or someone away; repel or resist something unwanted., To try to avoid something difficult or unpleasant..

The phonetic transcription of "fend off" is /ˌfend ˈɒf/ in British English and /ˌfend ˈɔːf/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "fend off": repel, ward off, deflect, resist, fight off, hold off, avoid, prevent.

Example usage of "fend off": "I had to fend off a dog that was barking at me.". More examples on the page.