Definition of "fend off" [fend off]

• To ward off; to drive (something) away; to turn away; to defend against; to repel with force or effort. (verb)

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• "I thought it was pretty cheeky of Salvador to turn around and bite our ankles at IFAD when we were providing enormous military and economic aid to help it fend off a vigorous, Cuban-backed Communist insurgency, but I came to see this was just business as usual at the UN."
• "They help kids slow down, focus on detail, fend off mental fatigue, and self-monitor more effectively."
• "The president-elect approved the proposed new system almost immediately, leaving Kissinger to fend off vociferous objections in January 1969 from State officialsand more nuanced concerns expressed by the secretary of defense-designate, Melvin Laird."