How to Use fend off in a Sentence

fend off

phrasal verb
Definition of fend offnext
  • The Kings built up a big lead and then made enough plays down the stretch to fend off a comeback by the Hawks.
    — Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 23 Jan. 2024
  • Free 7-Eleven Slurpees are here just in time to fend off this summer's heat wave.
    — Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 10 July 2023
  • Plus, both bags are fully lined to fend off makeup mishaps.
    — Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 6 May 2024
  • Ceesay added a foul shot and the Lions fended off New Town’s last chance in the final seconds.
    — Jake Shindel, Baltimore Sun, 13 Jan. 2024
  • Saudi Crown just could not muster the fuel to fend off Ushba Tesoro.
    — Guy Martin, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
  • Elon Musk has described Twitter Blue as a way to boost revenue and fend off trolls and bots.
    — Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 22 July 2023
  • Their two front pincers can be used to attack prey and fend off predators.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
  • One way of achieving this is to file more patents that fend off cheaper copy cats from launching.
    — Bruce Gil, Quartz, 8 May 2024
  • Trump is scrambling to fend off the growing pile of indictments.
    — Tori Otten, The New Republic, 21 July 2023
  • To add to its woes, the Covid-19 pandemic didn’t help the retailer fend off the rapid decline of shopping malls.
    — Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 21 May 2024
  • Defensive walls fended off the flow, but the molten rock did cut a hot water pipeline and two roads.
    — Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024
  • To fend off Putin, the United States and its partners should think of the war in similarly global terms.
    — Michael Kimmage and Hanna Notte, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2023
  • Can the sports leagues fend off the sort of corruption that resulted in nationwide bans on sports betting in the past?
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
  • But the key to the offense is probably Watson, who has fended off challenges for his job each of the last two seasons.
    — Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 2 Aug. 2023
  • That meant finding a way to play their game — a forecheck, grinding, puck possession-heavy game — and fend off the Rangers’ early pressure.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 25 May 2024
  • Tourists on a bear viewing tour in Alaska had to fend off a charging brown bear recently by yelling and staying in a tight group.
    — Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, 27 June 2023
  • Alexander led his armored warriors up a hill fending off a hail of arrows.
    — Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2024
  • The San Diego State grad sold shades out of a backpack on the boardwalk more than a decade ago, trying to fend off a ramen-noodles existence.
    — Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
  • Then Shadow responds with shrieks and screams, likely to fend off the raven from his territory.
    — Helena Wegner, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024
  • Dempsey has been with the program for three seasons, earning his first action in the secondary last year, and will have to fend off Mayes, Diamond and Lee.
    — Evan Dudley, al, 18 July 2023
  • Haim Peri, a long-time peace activist, fended off the attackers long enough for his wife to hide, evading capture.
    — Isabel Coles, WSJ, 26 Nov. 2023
  • Hernandez’s defense was not enough to fend off her firing.
    — Joey Flechas, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024
  • The Tigers' fourth homer extended the lead to 10-6 and, finally, provided enough runs to fend off a comeback attempt from the Rockies.
    — Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 2 July 2023
  • At least 13 women across the country used a firearm to fend off assailants between the waning days of July and Aug. 12, local news reports show.
    — Emma Colton, Fox News, 21 Aug. 2023
  • One plate also depicts St. George fending off a dragon in order to rescue a princess.
    — Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024
  • Yeah, unlike Trump, Biden hasn't had to expend any serious money to fend off Phillips's challenge.
    — Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 2 Feb. 2024
  • Dostal continued to fend off the Toronto pressure, making 33 of his saves by the end of the second period while starting for the first time in four games in place of John Gibson.
    — Doug Padilla, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024
  • These stylish suits fend off wrinkles and keep you comfortable while traveling.
    — Joel Balsam, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 2023
  • But the resilience of the U.S. labor market has helped fend off a recession over the past few years, to the surprise of many experts—and that trend continued in November.
    — Will Daniel, Fortune, 8 Dec. 2023
  • The woman reportedly fended off the suspect by kicking at him while yelling.
    — Pilar Arias, Fox News, 7 Dec. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fend off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: