to fend for oneself
16
5.6
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
arreglárselas
- After losing her job, she realized she would have to fend for herself financially.
Examples
-
Out there you've got to fend for yourself.
Fiction book (1996) -
I can fend for myself.
-
Then you might have to fend for yourself.
-
Like, from here on out, I was gonna have to fend for myself.
-
Folks out here learn to fend for themselves.
-
No thank you, I will fend for myself and do just fine.
Blog text (6) -
Turns out, when left to fend for herself, she gets into trouble.
Blog text (28) -
I would never abandon you... and leave you to fend for yourself.
-
Williams soon died, leaving his wife to fend for herself financially.
Academic text (2005) -
No child should ever be alone, unloved, and left to fend for himself.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
26
5.3
To do something without help from other people
5
4.4
To support yourself without help from other people
2
7.5
To be independent and take care of yourself without help
Antonyms
How Independent
- Informal
16
5.6
309
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to look after oneself without help' is directly derivable from combining 'fend' (to manage/provide) with the prepositional phrase 'for oneself' indicating doing something on one’s own behalf. This verb + for + oneself pattern is compositional and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings should understand the MWE.
Etymology
Fend for oneself comes from the old verb fend, which meant to push danger away. Imagine a person alone fighting off animals and finding food; they must fend for oneself, so the phrase means 'to look after oneself'.