forfend
verb
for·fend fȯr-ˈfend 
forfended; forfending; forfends
transitive verb
1
a
archaic : forbid
b
: to ward off : prevent
2
: protect, preserve
Did you know?
When forfend was first used in the 14th century, it meant "to forbid." The term is still used with this meaning in phrases like "heaven forfend" or "God forfend," but it bears an antiquated patina communicated in our dictionary with an "archaic" label. Other uses of the word are current, though somewhat uncommon. Forfend comes from Middle English forfenden, from for- (meaning "so as to involve prohibition, exclusion, omission, failure, neglect, or refusal") and fenden, a variant of defenden, meaning "to defend."
Synonyms
- bulwark
- cover
- defend
- fence
- fend
- guard
- keep
- protect
- safeguard
- screen
- secure
- shield
- ward
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
a place of refuge where the settlers could forfend themselves from attack
Recent Examples on the Web In the United States, instead of building more houses inside the old circle (or, heaven forfend, even closer together and near the places people go), people have built houses even further away. 
Adam Rogers, Wired, 30 Dec. 2021 But is Twitter outrage (or, heaven forfend, praise) a useful metric for audience engagement? Bethy Squires, Vulture, 27 May 2021 And of course the president says oh, my gosh, heaven forfend that poor Omarosa would have to go. Fox News, 14 Aug. 2018
Adam Rogers, Wired, 30 Dec. 2021 But is Twitter outrage (or, heaven forfend, praise) a useful metric for audience engagement? Bethy Squires, Vulture, 27 May 2021 And of course the president says oh, my gosh, heaven forfend that poor Omarosa would have to go. Fox News, 14 Aug. 2018 Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
forfends
verb
as in protects
to drive danger or attack away from a place of refuge where the settlers could forfend themselves from attack Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- protects
- defends
- safeguards
- shields
- guards
- stands up for
- fences
- wards
- bulwarks
- secures
- keeps
- fends
- screens
- prevents
- saves
- covers
- wars
- resists
- preserves
- opposes
- withstands
- contends
- fights
- conserves
- battles
- buffers
- walls
- averts
- palisades
- pickets
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- attacks
- assails
- besieges
- overruns
- assaults
- storms
- bombards
- capitulates
- submits
- besets
- yields
- caves