fend C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes US /fɛnd/ UK /fɛnd/ See IPA manual Minimal pairs Sounds like fand /ɛ/ vs /æ/ Sounds like feigned /ɛ/ vs /eɪ/ Meanings 1 verb to defend or provide for, or to ward off After college she learned to fend for herself. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to defend or provide for,... defendwardrepelparryresistprovideshield ↔ Opposites attackyieldsurrender Word family Derived forms fender Related forms defendoffendfence Common collocations fend off Verb + adverb Etymology AI details A Middle English shortening of defend, from Old French defendre, from Latin defendere ('to ward off'), from de- ('away') + -fendere ('to strike'). defendere Latin *gʷʰen- Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Actions & Processes External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # fend **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /fɛnd/ **IPA (UK):** /fɛnd/ ## Meanings 1. to defend or provide for, or to ward off ## Examples - After college she learned to fend for herself. ## Synonyms - defend - ward - repel - parry - resist - provide - shield ## Antonyms - attack - yield - surrender ## Derived Forms - fender ## Related Forms - defend - offend - fence ## Roots and Affixes - Root: defendere - Root: *gʷʰen- ## Etymology A Middle English shortening of defend, from Old French defendre, from Latin defendere ('to ward off'), from de- ('away') + -fendere ('to strike'). ## AI Etymology Fend has this etymological history: A Middle English shortening of defend, from Old French defendre, from Latin defendere ('to ward off'), from de- ('away') + -fendere ('to strike'). The etymological trail includes Latin defendere and Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen-. As a verb, fend means to defend or provide for, or to ward off. The same family is visible in derived forms such as fender and related forms such as defend, offend, and fence. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history. ## Topics - Actions & Processes markdown