fendfend /fend/ verb 
Word Origin Examples
The kids had to fend for themselves while their parents were away.fend somebody/something off phrasal verb1to defend yourself against someone who is attacking you SYN fight somebody ↔ off: Tabitha threw up an arm to fend her attacker off.2to defend yourself from something such as difficult questions, competition, or a situation you do not want to deal with: She uses her secretary to fend off unwanted phone calls. The company managed to fend off the hostile takeover bid.
Word OriginWORD ORIGINfend
Verb TableOrigin:
1200-1300 defendVERB TABLE
fend
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | fend |
| he, she, it | fends | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | fended |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have fended |
| he, she, it | has fended | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had fended |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will fend |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have fended |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am fending |
| he, she, it | is fending | |
| you, we, they | are fending | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was fending |
| you, we, they | were fending | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been fending |
| he, she, it | has been fending | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been fending |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be fending |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been fending |
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
Thesaurus- Nothing that we see in the park can quite fend off mythology.
- That is why he manoeuvred frantically, and brilliantly, to fend off the challenge to his party leadership last month.
- The new system was credited for fending off damage from major floods in 1996.
- The raven was determined to fend off any potential threat and maintain its fiefdom of Edge Wood.
- When your skin was young, it could fend for itself.
Longman Language Activatorto live in an independent way► be independent/lead an independent life
Collocations to live in an independent way, without other people helping you or telling you what to do: · Alice was glad to be independent and making a life of her own at last.· What strategies does a growing child use to become independent?· Our main objective is to help disabled people lead independent lives within the community.
► take care of yourself also look after yourself especially British to cook your own food, wash your own clothes, and do other basic things that are necessary to live: · Grandpa can't take care of himself any more so he's coming to live with us.· Many youngsters who've been brought up in care are often incapable of looking after themselves when they leave.
► stand on your own two feet informal to live your life independently without any help from your family or the government: · She'll never learn to stand on her own feet if you keep giving her whatever she wants.· A year abroad gives students the chance to stand on their own two feet.
► go it alone informal to start working or living on your own, especially after working or living with other people in a family, organization etc: · The response to our proposal was lukewarm, so we felt we had to go it alone.· After years of working for a big company, she decided to go it alone and set up her own business.· When it comes to parenthood, more and more women are deciding to go it alone.
► do your own thing spoken to live in an independent way and do what you want to do, without being influenced by what other people think: · He has a couple of roommates but they kind of all do their own thing.· He's given up his job and is living in northern California, just doing his own thing.
► fend for yourself written to look after yourself, when you are used to being taken care of by someone else, or when being independent is very difficult: · The mother died before the cubs were old enough to fend for themselves.· Dad always wanted me to be able to fend for myself from a very early age.· The children were left to fend for themselves on the streets.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► off
Phrases· Gough set about the task of survival by fending off the hat-trick ball.· The company has slashed prices to fend off competitors and pump up slackening demand.· And he did so by having to fend off none other than Tom Watson, who had won three times at Butler National.· And Blundell put on a great performance, fending off the Mercedes until both were caught by Schumacher.· Not one of the marchers even raised an arm to fend off the blows.· A A Gill, you can not help but suspect, probably wrote Starcrossed to fend off all other contenders.· He must also fend off the advancing former Tennessee Gov.
VERB► leave· Young Basque men emigrated because no patrimony could by custom be divided, leaving younger sons to fend for themselves.· We were left to fend for ourselves.· He had left Janine to fend for herself.· They were thus left to fend for themselves, aided only by the diplomatic intercession of the Protestant Cantons.· The moment of warm contact waned, leaving Jess to fend for herself.· The captain radioed for assistance, but the convoy sped away, leaving the Vanzetti to fend for herself.· Instead, the soaked, homeless and hungry victims are all but left to fend for themselves.· Others were left to fend for themselves-or worse, persecuted.
► try· When the men tried to fend off the animals, the officers kicked them in the head or stomach.· He tried to fend the animal off with his elbow while inserting the key in the office door.· The lion mauls the warrior, who is desperately trying to fend him off with his knees and shield.· Half believing that his leg was broken, he stooped and tried to fend the object off with his hands.· Maria tries to fend off Glass's questions, then cracks.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► fend for yourself
fend for yourself to look after yourself without needing help from other people: - Dad always wanted me to be able to fend for myself from a very early age.
- The children were left to fend for themselves on the streets.
- The mother died before the cubs were old enough to fend for themselves.
- Young birds are left to fend for themselves soon after they hatch.
- Children are left to fend for themselves and often get in trouble in the process.
- Now it must fend for itself, without parental care.
- Small amounts of food must be left for the birds until they learn to fend for themselves.
- So Snow White must fend for herself when she is abandoned by the hunter in the forest.
- The captain radioed for assistance, but the convoy sped away, leaving the Vanzetti to fend for herself.
- Thereafter they fend for themselves and she is quickly into preparation for her next litter.
- We were left to fend for ourselves.
- Young Basque men emigrated because no patrimony could by custom be divided, leaving younger sons to fend for themselves.
The kids had to fend for themselves while their parents were away.fend somebody/something off phrasal verb1to defend yourself against someone who is attacking you SYN fight somebody ↔ off: Tabitha threw up an arm to fend her attacker off.2to defend yourself from something such as difficult questions, competition, or a situation you do not want to deal with: She uses her secretary to fend off unwanted phone calls. The company managed to fend off the hostile takeover bid.