Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense fences, present participle fencing, past tense, past participle fenced
1. countable noun
A fence is a barrier between two areas of land, made of wood or wire supported by posts.
Villagers say the fence would restrict public access to the hills.
2. verb
If you fence an area of land, you surround it with a fence.
The first task was to fence the wood to exclude sheep. [VERB noun]
Thomas was playing in a little fenced area full of sand. [VERB-ed]
3. countable noun
A fence in show jumping or horse racing is an obstacle or barrier that horses have to jump over.
4. countable noun
A fence is a person who receives stolen property and then sells it.
[informal]
He originally acted as a fence for another gang before turning to burglary himself.
Synonyms: receiver, dealer, buyer, trader More Synonyms of fence
5.
See to mend fences
6.
See to sit on the fence
Phrasal verbs:
See fence in
See fence off
More Synonyms of fence
fence in British English
(fɛns)
noun
1.
a structure that serves to enclose an area such as a garden or field, usually made of posts of timber, concrete, or metal connected by wire, netting, rails, or boards
2. slang
a dealer in stolen property
3.
an obstacle for a horse to jump in steeplechasing or showjumping
4. machinery
a guard or guide, esp in a circular saw or plane
5.
a projection usually fitted to the top surface of a sweptback aircraft wing to prevent movement of the airflow towards the wing tips
6. mend one's fences
7. on the fence
8. over the fence
9. sit on the fence
verb
10. (transitive)
to construct a fence on or around (a piece of land, etc)
11. (tr; foll by in or off)
to close (in) or separate (off) with or as if with a fence
he fenced in the livestock
12. (intransitive)
to fight using swords or foils
13. (intransitive)
to evade a question or argument, esp by quibbling over minor points
14. (intransitive)
to engage in skilful or witty debate, repartee, etc
15. (intransitive) slang
to receive stolen property
16. (transitive) archaic
to ward off or keep out
Derived forms
fenceless (ˈfenceless)
adjective
fencelike (ˈfenceˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
C14 fens, shortened from defensdefence
fence in American English
(fɛns)
noun
1. Obsolete
a protection; defense
2.
a barrier, as of wooden or metal posts, rails, wire mesh, etc., used as a boundary or means of protection or confinement
3.
the art of self-defense with foil, saber, or epee; fencing
4.
a.
a person who deals in stolen goods
b.
a place where stolen goods are bought and sold
verb transitiveWord forms: fenced or ˈfencing
5.
to enclose, restrict, or hamper with or as with a fence
with in, off, etc.
6.
to keep (out) by or as by a fence
7. Archaic
to ward off; protect; defend
8.
to sell (stolen property) to a fence
verb intransitive
9.
to practice the art of fencing
10.
to avoid giving a direct reply; be evasive (with); parry
11.
to deal in stolen goods
Idioms:
mend one's fences
on the fence
Derived forms
fenceless (ˈfenceless)
adjective
Word origin
ME fens, aphetic for defens, defense
More idioms containing
fence
the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
sit on the fence
Examples of 'fence' in a sentence
fence
They dig under or jump over high fences and are very destructive.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Or she would throw bricks at the garden fence.
The Sun (2016)
We don't cut the grass and mend the fences or man the back office.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The intruder crashed into a fence then got out and made a run for it, jumping over a fence.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Garden walls and fences may offer protection from cold, but the wind can push forward any shrubs growing against them.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We went quick and it was the sort of experience he hasn't had in his two races over fences so far.
The Sun (2016)
He probably found the ground a touch fast on his first try at fences and should enjoy today's conditions and track.
The Sun (2016)
I suppose it's the day of reckoning for him as it his first run over fences.
The Sun (2016)
A wolf jumps a fence, and then digs back in to release his comrades.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
His first two years over fences, he could do things other horse couldn't.
The Sun (2016)
The plane dipped steeply like a horse refusing a fence.
Len Deighton Bomber
So which side of the fence will she land on?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
We have a big fence around us.
Christianity Today (2000)
Crowds tried to catch a peek of the guests from behind police barriers and over fences.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Thomas was playing in a little fenced area full of sand.
various & introduction by Deirdre Chapman A Roomful of Birds - Scottish short stories 1990 (1990)
Keep hedges and fences in good repair.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
There is one more fence to jump.
Charles A. D'Ambrosio & Stewart D. Hodges & Richard Brealey & Stewart Myers Principles of Corporate Finance (1991)
Media teams were kept well back behind fences and police guards.
The Sun (2016)
You can knock nails into wood and mend your fence.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The charity will not fence the property or ban dogs.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
There was a large fenced garden filled with apple trees.
The Sun (2013)
Today he fluffed the first three fences.
The Sun (2013)
He would launch a horse at a fence as if his life depended on it.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The area is not fenced off but there are warning signs.
The Sun (2009)
He rattled the first two fences and his race was as good as done.
The Sun (2013)
Houses are surrounded by high walls topped by electric fences to keep out marauding bands of robbers.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Coming out of the stalls he was a bit lethargic and was looking round at the jump fences.
The Sun (2015)
A protective fence was also constructed around the house.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Language, it seemed, was as big a barrier as the fence.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
One horse already being directed at a Festival novice chase had his first public outing over fences at Exeter yesterday.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
In other languages
fence
British English: fence /fɛns/ NOUN
A fence is a barrier made of wood or wire supported by posts.
American English: fence
Arabic: سِياج
Brazilian Portuguese: cerca
Chinese: 栅栏
Croatian: ograda
Czech: plot
Danish: hegn
Dutch: hek
European Spanish: valla
Finnish: aita
French: palissade
German: Zaun
Greek: φράκτης
Italian: staccionata
Japanese: 柵
Korean: 울타리
Norwegian: gjerde
Polish: ogrodzenie
European Portuguese: cerca vedação
Romanian: gard
Russian: забор
Latin American Spanish: valla
Swedish: staket
Thai: รั้ว
Turkish: çit tahta, tel örgü
Ukrainian: паркан
Vietnamese: hàng rào
British English: fence VERB
If you fence an area of land, you surround it with a fence.
The first task was to fence the wood to exclude sheep.
American English: fence
Brazilian Portuguese: cercar
Chinese: 圈起
European Spanish: cercar
French: clôturer
German: einzäunen
Italian: recingere
Japanese: 囲いをする
Korean: 울타리를 치다
European Portuguese: cercar
Latin American Spanish: cercar
All related terms of 'fence'
fence in
If you fence something in , you surround it completely with a fence.
fence off
If you fence off an area of land, you build a fence round it.
hot fence
an electric fence surrounding a farm
fence post
a sturdy post of wood or metal fixed in the ground at intervals to support a fence
ring fence
To ring-fence a grant or fund means to put restrictions on it, so that it can only be used for a particular purpose.
rock fence
a wall built of unmortared stones , as one bordering a field
snake fence
a fence made of rails interlocked in a zigzag pattern
snow fence
a portable wire-and-paling fence erected to prevent snow from drifting across a road , drive, ski run , etc
sunk fence
a ditch , one side of which is made into a retaining wall so as to enclose an area of land while remaining hidden in the total landscape
worm fence
→ Virginia (rail) fence
cyclone fence
a heavy-duty , chain-link fence , usually high and often topped with barbed wire
dogleg fence
a fence made of sloping poles supported by forked uprights
fence-mending
the action of trying to end a disagreement or quarrel with another person, organization or country
picket fence
A picket fence is a fence made of pointed wooden sticks fixed into the ground, with pieces of wood nailed across them.
boundary fence
a fence between properties
electric fence
a fence with an electric current in it, typically used to keep cattle in a field
on the fence
unable or unwilling to commit oneself
perimeter fence
a fence that serves as a boundary around something
electrified fence
a barrier that uses electric shocks to deter animals or people from crossing a boundary
over the fence
unreasonable , unfair , or unjust
barbed wire fence
a fence constructed from strong wire that has sharply pointed barbs at close intervals along its length
chain-link fence
a type of fence made of a mesh woven from steel wire
rabbit-proof fence
a fence through which rabbits are unable to pass
sit on the fence
to refuse to state a definite opinion about something or to say who you support in a conflict
Virginia (rail) fence
a zigzag fence made of rails laid across one another at the ends
post-and-rail fence
a fence constructed of upright wooden posts with horizontal timber slotted through it
to sit on the fence
If you sit on the fence , you avoid supporting a particular side in a discussion or argument .
Barbados pride
a tropical African and Asian tree, Adenanthera pavonina , of the legume family, having feathery foliage and bearing red seeds that are used in beadwork
the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
said to mean that other people may appear to be in a better or more attractive situation than you, but in reality their situation may not be as good as it seems