Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fend off

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.21 in modern English

Syllables: fend off
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To defend against; to repel with force or effort

verb

To prevent (a vessel) from running against anything with too much violence.

Example Sentences

"They tried citronella to fend off the mosquitos, to no avail."
"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."

Etymology

fend + off

Inflected Forms

fends off (present, singular) fending off (participle, present) fended off (participle, past) fended off (past)

Phrases

fend and prove fend away fend for oneself hold off

Frequently Paired Words

defend defense fend and prove fend away fender fend for oneself forfend hold off

Synonyms

turn away drive away ward off debar forefend forfend obviate deflect avert head off stave off avoid

Questions

What does fend off mean?: To defend against; to repel with force or effort
Where does fend off come from?: fend + off

How to pronounce fend off

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