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

Relevance

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 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 Unhoused and fending for herself After Frye graduated from high school, her mother packed up and moved with the rest of family to Orlando. — Miami Herald, 23 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fending

Verb

The new mRNA flu vaccine is also an option, as it was found in one study to be 27% more effective at protecting against illnesses in older adults than a standard shot.

— Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Commanders at military bases and personnel protecting critical infrastructure often do not have the legal authority to destroy or degrade drones that illegally fly into their airspace.

— Seth G. Jones, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of protecting

Verb

Hochul has made that argument in defending New York’s law, saying local officers should remain focused on investigating crimes rather than using state and local resources to perform ICE’s work.

— María Luisa Paúl, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
But by defending in this way, Chelsea are giving smart opponents the advantage in the battle for possession.

— Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of defending

Verb

Switzerland imagines Highsmith as a recluse in the Alps, closely guarding a cache of weapons and secrets after a lifetime spent writing mysteries.

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026
For weeks, migrants in the Spanish territory of Ceuta had gathered on a beach away from the city center, sleeping on cardboard sheets, under reed huts and guarding their few possessions in tattered plastic bags.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of guarding

Verb

Sheinbaum has denied shielding Rocha Moya but rejected Washington’s request to arrest and extradite the defendants without credible evidence, insisting that any prosecution take place in Mexico.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Las Vegas — Under a canopy shielding them from the desert sun that pushes temperatures to nearly 110 degrees, Las Vegas tourists rode zip lines down Fremont Street.

— Andy Rose, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of shielding

Verb

Those differing responses, paradoxically, hint at an underlying confluence of viewpoints – that safeguarding the growth and development of children and teenagers is not a one-and-done deal, left to individual court cases or settlements.

— The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 31 Aug. 2026
Organizations must extend hygiene to AI systems by securing training data, confirming model integrity, safeguarding prompts and outputs, preventing model poisoning and adversarial attacks, and controlling how AI accesses company data.

— Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026