as in to protect
to drive danger or attack away from
a place of refuge where the settlers could forfend themselves from attack
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forfend
For people who spend too much time debating politics or surfing the internet -- or, heaven forfend, doing both at the same time -- engagement with the real world can present something of a ...
—
Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 23 May 2024
Heaven forfend!
—Ron Charles, Washington Post, 3 July 2020
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
Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 23 May 2024
Heaven forfend!
—Ron Charles, Washington Post, 3 July 2020
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forfend
Verb
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Residents wonder what a rebuilt community will look like — and who will return to protect the spirit of the town.—
Colleen Shalby,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2025
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This case seeks to bring accountability and protect other women from facing the same retaliation.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The visiting Catalans regularly strolled through the first line of pressure that night — with Vinicius Jr and Mbappe unconvincing in defending from the front in a 4-4-2 formation before Barca overloaded the midfield with their technical, creative players.—
Thom Harris,
The Athletic,
8 Feb. 2025
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In a filing to the FCC, Paramount and Skydance defended the merger while denying allegations of ideological bias.—
Winston Cho,
The Hollywood Reporter,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Disability rights protected by NJ law The state offers legal protection through the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, which safeguards against workplace bias, including for remote workers.—
Gene Myers,
USA TODAY,
11 Feb. 2025
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By cracking down on misuse and reinforcing accountability, the city can safeguard taxpayer resources, restore public confidence, and focus on meeting its budgetary goals effectively.—
Pamella Pema Reid,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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This will come as a relief to parents who dutifully shielded their children’s eyes when, in the first film, Paddington’s beloved Uncle Pastuzo was crushed (offscreen, but still) by a falling tree.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
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Among the injured were at least two other children, including a 10-year-old, who was struck by debris in his head while shielding his little sister, and a 9-year-old battling burns on 90% of his body after losing his father in the crash.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN,
9 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Last week, Trump threatened stiff tariffs on Mexico and Canada, but delayed them for 30 days after both countries promised to send 10,000 troops to guard their U.S. borders.—
Luke Garrett,
NPR,
9 Feb. 2025
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After Trump lost the 2020 election, Hegseth, at that point a member of the D.C. National Guard, volunteered to guard Biden’s inauguration following the attacks on January 6, but according to his most recent book was flagged as a potential extremist and told to stay home.—
Kyle Khan-Mullins,
Forbes,
7 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near forfend
Cite this Entry
“Forfend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forfend. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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