FENDING Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

fending

verb

present participle of fend

as in protecting

to drive danger or attack away from learned to use humor to fend herself from criticism

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of fending The announcement is the latest fallout from the botched handling of the calls on July 27 that left the elderly woman fending for herself against her attacker for more than three hours. — David Clarey, jsonline.com, 26 Aug. 2026 The kick seemed to work in fending the bear off, and the creature left with its cubs. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 22 Aug. 2026 Feral populations spring up as result of these self-sustaining domestic animals fending for themselves. — Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 17 June 2026 Sinner took their first meeting, overwhelming a streaky Jódar in the first set and fending him off for most of the second in a 6-2, 7-6(0) win Wednesday. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026 Those Shahed successes may accrue, at least in part, from the fact that the United States and Israel lack Ukraine’s long experience with fending them off. — IEEE Spectrum, 24 Mar. 2026 Oklahoma City was fending without centers Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, but Williams — a third-string big good enough to start on at least a handful of teams — killed Denver with his spacing. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026 We're stuck fending for ourselves. — Carolyn Gusoff, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026 Those with mobility issues — many of whom were at nursing homes — were left fending for themselves or relying on a group of Pasadena Transit bus drivers. — Tony Saavedra, Daily News, 17 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fending

Verb

Still, research like this hints at where oral health could be headed, moving away from simply protecting or replacing damaged tissue and toward materials designed to help rebuild tooth enamel instead.

— Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026
That’s because the rocket aims for full reusability, with a novel upper stage thruster design and heat shield to solve the difficult problem of protecting a vehicle reentering at orbital velocity.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of protecting

Verb

The most direct tribute to Tippett came in the battle against two giant droids guarding an overlord’s chamber.

— Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Their day jobs are with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), a specialized force tasked with guarding the peaks and passes of India’s 2,167-mile (3,488-kilometer) long Himalayan border with China.

— Helen Regan, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of guarding

Verb

In Flanagan‘s take, Margaret is fiercely committed to shielding Carrie from the world’s dangers and from her classmates’ cruelty, even becoming a parental advocate in their community and on social media.

— Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026
Long decided to show Carl standing in a spotlight, wearing white boxers with red hearts, shielding Princess Donut.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of shielding

Verb

On the other hand, automation can optimize the return on human capital if it is used to eliminate low-value tasks while safeguarding the organization’s long-term human innovative capacity.

— Syed Ahmad, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
The government pressured chipmakers to reprioritize order fulfillment, safeguarding the birthright of Americans to buy new trucks.

— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026