to fend off
34
3.9
- phrasal verb
- /fɛnd ɔf/
:
repeler
- She was able to fend off bandits, protect her village, and save her family from ruin.
- fend off an attack
- fend off attackers
- fend off a threat
That's going to help you fend off these cravings.
- That's going to help you fend off these cravings.
- And the answer was he had to fend off any opponent from the far right.
- Part of the case made to European voters who were skeptical of the need for a green transition was that going green would do more than just fend off climate change.
- There in Oskal, you had strength enough to withstand the lures and fend off the attacks of the servant of an old power of Earth.
- Ever since the tape of Donald on the Billy Bush locker bus came out, Trump has been fending off attacks like a woman meeting Donald Trump.
- And doesn't that mean that the this person that you appoint as your surrogate's principal task is going to be fending off care, not getting it?
- I just don't know sometimes if I can fend off my own dark arts, you know, and my own, you know, hold myself together enough to get through it.
- And that's my program of trying to fend off looking like a really old woman and still be able to move around with great mobility.
- So it it is possible to fend off entropy increase for some amount of time in a particular part of a system.
Examples
-
Still, Octavian's men were able to fend off the attacks and complete their defenses.
-
It's the only way to fend off lions.
-
For most, economic growth is their prime means of fending off internal political opposition.
Academic text (2010) -
And the answer was he had to fend off any opponent from the far right.
-
And there are always rivals to fend off.
-
How can they be expected to fend off the advances of some of the other residents?
Academic text (2011) -
If anything, the government fended off calls for a more extensive ground operation in Gaza.
Academic text (2015) -
Nick zipped up his jacket, trying to fend off the bite of November cold.
Fiction book (2002) -
Their motivation is to fend off the stigma that weakens their moral authority.
Academic text (1998) -
She trained hard to fend off any attacks during the competition.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To keep someone or something safe from harm
∞
1.0
To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening
∞
1.3
To protect people and things from attack or harm
187
1.6
Stop someone or something from coming near
122
4.1
To fight something harmful like a disease or unfair treatment
76
4.6
To turn attention away from a person or thing
73
5.0
To stop something bad from happening
61
3.0
Hold up against stains, heat or storms
55
4.0
To stop an opponent from moving forward by keeping your position
51
3.7
To keep away an attack, illness, or strong unwanted feeling
38
3.9
Stop something harmful from coming close and causing trouble
34
4.4
To keep harmful or unpleasant things away from you
30
6.4
To stop something bad from happening for a while
23
4.8
Stop something from happening by acting early
21
4.2
Make someone or something move back and stay away, often by using force
5
9.1
Prevent a problem or need by acting before it happens
3
7.9
To drive back an attack or enemy force
3
3.8
To protect a person or thing from harm
2
9.9
To stop danger or harm from happening
1
8.1
Make animals or people who attack you go away
1
3.3
To make someone or something go away by making them afraid
To stop something bad from happening
Antonyms
How Successful
Surface Forms
Morphology
fend + off
If a learner knows the verb 'fend' (to ward off/defend) and the particle 'off' (away), the meaning 'to defend against or keep something away' is directly compositional: 'fend' + 'off' = ward away. This follows a regular English verb+particle pattern and is therefore predictable for a B1 learner who knows the constituents.
Etymology
Fend off comes from the image of someone using a hand, stick, or shield to push an attacker or object away. Think fend as 'push' and off as 'away', so the phrase means 'to defend yourself against' or 'keep something unwanted away'.