FORFENDS Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

forfends

verb

present tense third-person singular of forfend

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for forfends

Verb

Check the numbers, name the boundary, and choose the workaround that protects both freedom and trust.

— Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Strong enforcement protects consumers and competitive markets.

— Robin Rossenfeld, Denver Post, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of protects

Verb

The 16-year-old New Zealand amateur successfully defends her title, closing with a 6-under 64 for her fourth win in 14 professional events.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Romero defends his belt for the first time, while Lopez makes his 147-pound debut, eyeing future undisputed glory.

— Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of defends

Verb

Homeowners selling a primary residence who meet certain IRS conditions can qualify for a tax break, known as the Section 121 exclusion, that shields up to $250,000 of profits for single filers and $500,000 for married couples filing jointly.

— Annie Nova,Sarah Agostino,Kelli Grant, CFP®, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026
Banning corporate cross-border stablecoins shields Pretoria’s currency controls at the direct expense of corporate productivity.

— Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of shields

Verb

Summary The federal government traditionally safeguards investors through disclosure, oversight, and enforcement.

— Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
The addition of Skubal further safeguards them at a time when Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are working their way back from injuries and Justin Wrobleski has already surpassed his career high in innings.

— Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of safeguards

Verb

Anthropic closely guards its training data sources, but music publishers think the court should require more transparency.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Liberty guards Marine Johannes and Pauline Astier are both looking forward to the opportunity to represent France during the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup tournament.

— Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of guards

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

forfending

forfends

forgather

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Forfends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forfends. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of forfends

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

conscientious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes