fend

Verb

WordNet 3.0

Verb (2)

try to manage without help“The youngsters had to fend for themselves after their parents died”
withstand the force of something“The trees resisted her”“stand the test of time”“The mountain climbers had to fend against the ice and snow”Synonyms: resist stand

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Fend \Fend\, n. A fiend. [Obs.] --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

Fend \Fend\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fended; p. pr. & vb. n. Fending.] [Abbrev. fr. defend.] To keep off; to prevent from entering or hitting; to ward off; to shut out; -- often with off; as, to fend off blows. [1913 Webster]

With fern beneath to fend the bitter cold. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

To fend off a boat or To fend off a vessel (Naut.), to prevent its running against anything with too much violence. [1913 Webster]

Fend \Fend\, v. i. To act on the defensive, or in opposition; to resist; to parry; to shift off. [1913 Webster]

The dexterous management of terms, and being able to fend . . . with them, passes for a great part of learning. --Locke. [1913 Webster]