Showing results for fending off. Search instead for fending+off.

fending off

VERB

keep at bay

Synonyms

STRONGEST

avert avoid deflect rebuff rebut reject repel repulse resist spurn ward off

WEAK

beat off drive back hold at bay keep at a distance keep at arm's length keep off parry rebuke refuse snub stave off turn aside

Antonyms

STRONGEST

approve attract want welcome

WEAK

let in

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Intriguingly, Murray comes from one side of the Whitehall table - as a treasury minister fending off spending requests - to the other, as the head of a major spending department.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

Yet that’s also how Malone feels about the current climate of Hollywood — a once-stable neighborhood fending off malign forces.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

Volkswagen, long the largest seller in China, is battling to maintain a Chinese market share while also fending off competition at home.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Such “poison pills” can award extra shares to nonhostile shareholders, and are a common tactic when a company is fending off an unwelcome suitor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Then it’s Scott, head down, fending off photographers as he tries to get through his own front door, Riley at his side.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins